Novel surface tension isotherm for surfactants based on local density functional theory.

In this Letter we report a new general method for calculating of surface tension isotherms in the presence of surfactants, based on a local density functional. We illustrate this method by deriving the interfacial tension isotherm for nonionic surfactants at an air-water or oil-water interface by using the self-consistent field theory of polymer brushes. We consider a particular case of local density functional to calculate explicitly how the interfacial tension and the surfactant adsorption depend on the surfactant bulk concentration. Experimental data for the surface tension and the surfactant adsorption isotherm for nonionic surfactants were interpreted with the help of the new isotherm. Very good agreement between the adsorption of n-dodecyl pentaoxyethylene glycol ether (C12E5) at an air-water interface, calculated from the surface tension isotherm and small-angle neutron-scattering is obtained.