engleski

Development of a New Potentiometric Sensor for Surfactants

Surfactants are organic molecules which reduce the surface tension. They have a amphiphilic structure with polar head with hydrophilic group that has affinity to water ; and a nonpolar tail – a “fatty“ hydrophobic alkyl chain with 8 to 22 carbon atoms. There are four main groups of surfactants - anionic, cationic, amphoteric and nonionic. Anionic surfactants are usually used as washing agents in households and industry, while cationic surfactants are used as disinfectant, preservatives and cleaning agents. Except their positive sides, surfactant have a negative effect on the cells (they disintegrate the cell membrane), they can cause skin irritation and prevent the oxygen exchange on the air/ware phase borders endangering the aquatic life. Since surfactants are widely used, there is a need to establish reliable protocols for their quantification in commercial products (as a quality control tool) and in waters (and wastewaters). Classical methods for their detection, like two-phase titration, are not reliable, require a trained personnel and use toxic solvents. To overcome this issues, surfactants sensors are used. They are fast in response, reproducible, do not use toxic solvents and are easy to use. A new, low-cost, simple and fast potentiometric surfactant sensor based on the 2-methyl-1, 3- dioctadecyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-3- ium - tetraphenylborate ionophore was fabricated, characterized and tested on model and real samples of commercial products and wastewaters containing surfactants. The proposed sensor was suitable for surfactant quantification at high and low concentrations. The results showed good agreement with the standard method.

surfactant ; potentiometric sensor ; imidazole

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