What is Fluorocarbon surfactants

Fluorocarbon surfactants- A class of substances that can significantly reduce the surface tension of a solvent at very low concentrations . Fluorocarbon surfactants are the most important species of specialty surfactants, which means that the hydrogen atoms in the hydrocarbon chains of the hydrocarbon surfactants are totally or partially replaced by fluorine atoms, that is, the fluorocarbon chains replace the hydrocarbon chains. Therefore, the surface The non-polar groups in the active agent are not only hydrophobic but also oleophobic.

Fluorocarbon surfactants are classified as anionic, cationic, nonionic, ampholytic fluorocarbon surfactants, as well as other types of fluorocarbon surfactants such as silicon-containing fluorocarbon surfactants, hybrid surfactants, long chain type surface-active Agents and non-hydrophilic fluorocarbon surfactants.

Fluorocarbon surfactants are widely used in synthetic detergents, cosmetics, food, rubber, plastics, inks and many other industries. In photosensitive materials, mainly used as a wetting agent, emulsifier, antistatic agent. At the same time can also be used as fire extinguishing agent additives, ink additives for oil exploration, textile printing and dyeing, paper leather processing, environmental pesticides, synthetic resins, high-grade paint and so on.

As for the related structure of fluorocarbon surfactants, we know that surfactants generally consist of two groups of polar groups (hydrophilic groups) and non-polar groups (hydrophobic groups). The non-polar group of normal surfactant is a hydrocarbon chain, but the non-polar group of the fluorocarbon surfactant is a fluorocarbon chain, that is, a hydrogen atom on the hydrocarbon chain is partially or completely substituted by a fluorine atom. However, there is no obvious difference between them in the structure of polar groups. Therefore, fluorocarbon surfactant is fluorocarbon chain instead of hydrocarbon chains as the molecules of non-polar groups of surfactants.