• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.479-485
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• 2009

In this study, basic physical properties were measured for ASCO EQ85 cationic surfactant of triethanolamine-ester quaternary ammonium salt and effect of pH on softening performance on fabrics was investigated using zeta potential measurement and adsorption experiment by quartz crystal microbalance. The CMC of the surfactant was near $3{\times}10^{-3}mol/L$ and the surface tension at CMC was about 40 mN/m. The interfacial tension measurement between 1 wt% aqueous solution and n-dodecane measured by spinning drop tensiometer showed that interfacial tension slightly increased with an increase in pH but the equilibration time was not affected by pH. The surfactant adsorption was found to increase with an increase in surfactant concentration and was also affected by pH of surfactant solution. The friction factor for fabrics treated with ASCO EQ85 surfactant was shown to increase with pH and better softening effect was found under acidic conditions. Half-life for foams generated with ASCO EQ85 surfactant solution increased with pH, which indicated an increase in foam stability with pH.