What are the Chemical Classification Methods of Surfactants?

According to their ionic properties, surfactants can be classified into anionic, cationic, amphoteric and nonionic types.

Anionic surfactant

Anionic surfactants can be classified into fatty acid salts, fatty alcohol sulfates, alkyl sulfonates, alkyl benzene sulfonates and phosphate salts according to their hydrophilic groups. As the surface active application of the oldest, largest and most affordable agent, anionic surfactant has excellent cleaning, emulsification and solubilization process in textile processing, mainly used as cleaning agent, wetting agent, scouring agent and leveling agent etc...

Cationic surfactant

According to the different structures, cationic surfactant can be divided into primary amine and secondary amine, tertiary amine salt and quaternary ammonium salt. Because of its strong emulsification and foaming effect of cationic surfactant in textile processing are commonly used as softening agent, antistatic agent and leveling agent etc...

Amphoteric surfactant

Amphoteric surfactants can be classified into amino acids, betaine and imidazoline according to their structure. It not only has very good penetration, emulsification and cleaning effect, and its low biodegradability and good compatibility in textile finishing agent is used as softening agent, and leveling agent etc...

Nonionic surfactant

According to their structure, nonionic surfactants can be divided into two groups: fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether and alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether. Because of its strong emulsification, degreasing, solubilization and low foaming properties, so the process in textile processing large amount, second only to the cation surfactant, used as emulsifying agent, leveling agent and scouring agent etc...