Chemistry, Properties, and Uses of Commercial Fluorinated Surfactants

Fluorinated surfactants have been commercially available since the 1950s. The first available were perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids. The unique properties e.g., surface tension lowering in aqueous systems, high chemical and thermal stability of these acids and their derivatives when used at low concentrations resulted in their widespread use in industrial processes and consumer uses. The most common commercially produced perfluorinated surfactants are the perfluoroalkyl acids. Subsequently, additional commercial processes were developed for synthesis of a range of per- and poly-fluorinated surfactants whose unique properties make them largely irreplaceable in many applications. The widespread use and disposal and the high stability of the perfluoroalkyl acids, which do not breakdown readily either abiotically or biotically in the environment, has resulted in widespread presence of PFAAs in the environment. This caused commercial production to shift toward short chain alternatives and new fluorinated moieties such as the per- and polyfluorinated ethers. Clearly, there remains a need for fluorinated surfactants in many industries to obtain the beneficial performance properties of these substances that cannot be achieved with other types of surfactants. The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the commercially relevant chemistry, properties, and uses of commercial fluorinated surfactants.