Critical micellar concentration and methods of its determination

Surfactants are substances, which have surface activity in aqueous solutions [1–3]. By adsorbing on the surface (boundary of phase separation) of the system, they change the surfactant properties of the liquid. Surfactants consist of a hydrophobic part (non-polar, called “tail”) and a hydrophilic part (polar, called “head”) [1–3]. The overall structure of the surfactant molecule is shown in Figure 1. In aqueous solution after exceeding one critical micellar concentration of the CMC surfatant (Critical Micelle Concentration), the surfactant molecules aggregate to form micelles [1–5]. Knowledge of CMC values and the micelle formation in solution, it determines the properties of surfactants and their subsequent use in the chemical industry. Surfactants are used in the chemical industry, inter alia, for the production of many detergents, cosmetics, paints, dyes, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, food or oil [2, 3]