Non-Ionic Surfactants (Chemical Engineering Methods and Technology)

Non-ionic surfactants are chemically potent molecular species that are becoming increasingly important as an excipient component used in the formulation and delivery of drugs and vaccines. These chemicals do not have charge in their predominant working range of pH, yet interact strongly with high energy structures such as interfacial regions, phase boundaries and surfaces and can cause dramatic changes in crucial properties of molecular mixtures including solubility, dispersion uniformity, viscosity, miscibility, phase and transport. Non-ionic surfactants are used extensively in the chemical industry in such areas as detergents, health and personal care, coatings and polymers. Furthermore, non-ionic surfactants, or surface active wetting agents, reduce the surface tension of water, allowing the water molecules to spread out. When applied to water-repellent soils in high concentrations, surfactants can improve the ability of the water to penetrate the soil surface and thus increase the infiltration rate. This new book gathers the latest research from around the globe in this field.