New Schiff Base Cationic Surfactants: Surface and Thermodynamic Properties and Applicability in Bacterial Growth and Metal Corrosion Prevention

A new series of cationic Schiff bases was synthesized and their chemical structures were confirmed using elemental analysis, infrared spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance. The surface properties of the surfactant solutions including surface tension, effectiveness, efficiency, critical micelle concentration, maximum surface excess and minimum surface area were calculated using surface tension-log concentration profiles. The surface parameters were strongly dependent on the hydrophobic chain length. The thermodynamic properties of the surfactants in their solutions showed the spontaneous behavior of both adsorption and micellization processes. The thermodynamic data revealed that the adsorption of the surfactant molecules at the air/water interface was more favorable than the micellization in the bulk of their solutions. The synthesized surfactants were evaluated with regard to their preventing the corrosion reaction of carbon steel in acidic media and also their acting as antibacterial biocides to inhibit bacterial growth. The data of corrosion and antibacterial evaluations showed the high efficiency and applicability of these compounds in these uses.