Estimating the adsorption efficiency of sugar-based surfactants from QSPR models

Adsorption efficiency, measured as the surfactant concentration at which the surface tension of the aqueous solution decreases by 20 mN/m, characterizes their affinity for surfaces and interfaces, which is crucial for a cost-effective use of surfactants. In this article, the first Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship models to predict this efficiency were proposed based on a dataset of 82 diverse sugar-based surfactants and using different types of molecular descriptors. Finally, an easy-to-use model was evidenced with good predictivity assessed on an external validation set. Moreover, it is based on a series of fragment descriptors accounting for the different structural trends affecting the efficiency of sugar-based surfactants. Due to its predictive capabilities and to the structure-property trends it involves, this model opens perspectives to help the design of new sugar-based surfactants, notably to substitute petroleum-based ones