Rheology Control Using Nonionic Cosurfactants and pH Titration in an Amino Acid-Derived Surfactant Composition

Sulfate-based formulations can be easily thickened by adding salt or amphoteric cosurfactants. However, sulfate-free and amino acid-based surfactants cannot. We explored an alternative thickening mechanism by studying the thickening effect of adding nonionic cosurfactants to a mixture of an amino acid-based surfactant, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (SLSar), and a zwitterionic cosurfactant, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine (CAHS) at a 6:9 weight ratio. To characterize the formulations, we combined traditional rheometry with a state-of-the-art mesoscopic analysis of micelle dynamics obtained via diffusing wave spectroscopy. In addition, the formulations were characterized by cross-polarized light microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The cosurfactants studied included fatty alcohols, alkanediols, a fatty acid, and fatty alcohol ethoxylates (CnE3 and CnE6). Adding the nonionic cosurfactants increased the zero-shear viscosity up to 350 times the viscosity of the no-additive system at neutral pH. When pH titration was incorporated as a second thickening mechanism, the viscosity maximum was lower than the no-additive mixture. Furthermore, the pH of the viscosity maximum was shifted to higher pH for all systems except for CnE6, which shifted the maximum to lower pH. The nonionic amphiphiles also broadened the viscosity maximum, particularly in the C10OH system. Consequently, the C10OH system had a more favorable profile for development as a practical thickening system for an amino acid-based cleanser. Analysis according to the Zou and Larson micelle dynamics model revealed that the broadening effect was associated with substantially longer breakage times for the C10OH system (4-208 ms) compared to the no-additive system (4-38 ms).

Automated summary

The study investigated the effect of nonionic cosurfactants on thickening mechanism in a mixture of an amino acid-based surfactant and a zwitterionic cosurfactant, revealing that nonionic cosurfactants can significantly increase viscosity and alter the pH at which viscosity maximum occurs.