2026-10-06T09:49:46Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34021854 2026-09-30T00:42:37Z category_25216 portal_12 item_type_5 month_year_09_2026

Cindy Yi: A Switchable Solution Cindy Yi (16553379) Tianci Zhang (3223902) Shraya Patel (25135924) Geoff Willmott (1193763) Cameron Weber (6897728) Physical organic chemistry switchable surfactants green chemistry synthesis physical chemistry organic chemistry <p dir="ltr">Surfactants are surface-active compounds. Their ability to associate with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds contributes to their widespread use in various settings. Due to their ubiquity in commercial and consumer products, the end-of-life of surfactants has become a significant environmental issue. While most surfactant have hydrophobic tails that are biodegradable, most surfactant head-groups are petrochemical-derived and not designed for biodegradation, persisting in the environment. Thus, in modern surfactant design, biodegradability is a principal concern.<br><br>Switchable surfactants have alterable physicochemical properties based on factors such as pH, enabling their separation from solvent mixtures and facilitating their recovery. However, existing switchable surfactants rely on toxic amines, which carry health and environmental concerns.<br><br>This presentation will discuss the preparation of greener, less toxic switchable surfactant head groups with biodegradable linkers and data on their surface tension reduction ability.</p> 2026-09-30T00:42:37Z Image Poster 10.17608/k6.auckland.34021854.v2 https://figshare.com/articles/poster/A_Switchable_Solution/34021854 CC BY 4.0