Comparison of the properties of perfluoroalkyl polyoxyethylene ether and alkyl polyoxyethylene ether

Short-chain fluorocarbon surfactants have been widely adopted as substitutes for long-chain fluorocarbon surfactants and hydrocarbon surfactants due to their biodegradability and excellent surface properties. In particular, fluorocarbon surfactants such as short-chain perfluoropolyethers have become a research hotspot in recent years. In this study, the short-chain perfluoroalkyl polyoxyethylene ether surfactant CF-310 is systematically compared with the traditional nonionic hydrocarbon surfactant alkyl polyoxyethylene ether AEO-7 in terms of its equilibrium surface tension, dynamic surface tension, wetting properties, and foam properties. The results show that CF-310 has better surface properties, better wettability on low-energy surfaces, and better foam properties than AEO-7. Structural optimization based on density functional theory (DFT) also indicates that the CF-310 fluorocarbon chain has a larger volume and a helical conformation, which are the main factors responsible for the superior surface performance, wettability, and foam performance of CF-310 compared with AEO-7. Excellent performance and biodegradability make this short-chain perfluoroalkyl polyoxyethylene ether surfactant CF-310 a more efficient alternative to AEO-7. This study tested the performance of the CF-310 system in hopes of developing its potential applications in personal and home care and foam applications.