Water and Counterion Structuring around Cyclic Anionic Surfactant Micelles in Solution

In the detergent industry, anionic surfactants such as Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) dominate the market. Whilst LAS has been proven to be biodegradable, it is derived from petrochemicals using acid catalysts that cause low selectivity, corrosion of equipment and toxicity. The first aim of this proposal is to study the water and counterion structuring around the benzene sulfonate headgroup. We hypothesise that water structuring will help us to understand how the aromatic ring influences LAS interactions with water interfaces, and thus the origin of its superior detergent properties. We also aim to investigate a new class of anionic surfactants Oleo-furan Sulfonates (OFS) containing a furan ring instead of the benzene ring to compare the effect of different aromatic ring components on water structuring.