Non-conventional surfactants from amino acids and glycolipids: Structure, preparation and properties

Due to current trends, such as energy savings and the increase in environmental and toxicological concerns, at present there is a strong industrial need for high performance chemicals such as surfactants with biodegradable and biocompatible properties. One interesting and practical strategy concerns the preparation of surfactant molecules based on the design of molecular mimics of natural compounds such as lipoaminoacids, phospholipids and glycolipids. They are characterized by a non-conventional structure derived from amino acids, oligisaccarides and glycerols. This paper reviews the research results on structure, chemical preparation, properties and uses of lipoaminoacids and glycerolipids.