• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2009

The surfactants applied in household detergents and industrial cleansers should satisfy the requirement of not just the basic function such as emulsification, solubilisation, dispersion, detergency, wetting and foaming, but also the economical efficiency and the safety to human and environment. In the viewpoint of the sustainable development, the surfactants, moreover, have to reduce raw materials and energy consumption and waste disposal when they are being manufactured and also consumed for their purposes. New high-performance surfactants have been extensively studied and developed in order to respond the change in social and economical environment. Noticeable progresses have been achieved so far, which are the significant increase in solubility and surface activity through the minor modification of existing surfactant molecular structure and the synergistic increase in a surface activity shown in the mixed surfactant system of anionic and cationic surfactants. In this review, the important and meaningful progresses achieved recently in technological advance and practical application will be summarized and discussed.