Synthesis and properties of multiheaded and multitailed surfactants based on tripentaerythritol

The surface and self-assembly properties of a family of multiheaded, multitailed surfactants based on a tripentaerythritol backbone are described. Critical aggregation concentrations of these unusual surfactant systems have been determined from surface tension measurements; aggregate sizes in the presence and absence of a small amount of added electrolyte have been obtained via dynamic light scattering, and the morphologies of the aggregates were examined from electron microscopy measurements. In general, when compared to conventional ionic and two-headed surfactants (and other recently synthesized pentaerythritol derived surfactants from this group), these multiheaded surfactants exhibited some unusual trends in their aggregation behaviour and interesting aggregate structures in aqueous solution, as a function of alkyl chain length.