Preparation and surface activity study of amino acid surfactants

Abstract Quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants are widely applied in many different fields, such as textile, cosmetic, and petrochemical industries. However, little research has been done on the effects of anion on cationic surfactants. In this study, two new surfactants, cetyltrimethylammonium glycine (CTAG) and octadecyltrimethylammonium glycine (OTAG), were prepared in a simple way using cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), octadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (OTAC), and glycine. Then the surface activities were evaluated and compared with the two raw materials. The surface activity of CTAG and OTAG, including surface tension, foaming ability, and emulsification, is better than that of CTAC and OTAC in each case. With the glycine, the corrosion inhibition efficiencies of CTAG and OTAG are 91.12% and 97.89%, respectively, which are more effective than that of CTAC and OTAC. The superior performance of the two surfactants will be very helpful for developing an effective solution in the future.