Synthesis and Characterization of Silicone-Based Surfactants as Anti-Foaming Agents

• Published in: Journal of surfactants and detergents Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 73 - 81
• Main Authors: Kekevi, Burcu, Berber, Hale, Yıldırım, Hüseyin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anti‐foaming agent; Aquatic Pollution; Chemical reactions; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chlorine; Copolymers; Foaming; Foaming properties; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Original Article; Physical Chemistry; Polyethers; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Ross‐Miles test; Silicone surfactants; Silicones; Surface tension; Surfaces and Interfaces; Surfactants; Thin Films; Tri‐block co‐polymers; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Tri-block co-polymers; Foaming properties; Polyethers; Silicone surfactants; Anti-foaming agent; Ross-Miles test
• ISSN: 1097-3958; 1558-9293
• DOI: 10.1007/s11743-011-1277-0

Silicone-based amphiphilic surfactants were synthesized as anti-foaming agents through a polycondensation reaction between chlorine-terminated polysiloxane and polyethers. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(propylene glycol) of different molecular weights were used. The structures of these tri-block co-polymers were characterized by FTIR, 1 H NMR and ESI–MS analysis. Surface tension, foam height and foam destruction properties of these co-polymers were determined. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed that bonding of polyether to polysiloxane was successful and two types of different tri-block co-polymers were obtained. The anti-foaming efficiency of these co-polymers tended to increase with an increase in the hydrophilic character of the co-polymer chains. The synthesized tri-block co-polymers, which can be used as anti-foaming agents in paper-coating applications of poly(vinyl acetate- co -butyl acrylate) latexes, showed low surface tension values, fast liquid drainage and efficient foam destruction. PEG 200- b -PDMS- b -PEG 200 was determined to be the most efficient anti-foaming agent among all co-polymers synthesized.