Preparation and application of cardanol ether-based anionic–nonionic surfactant

Using cardanol polyoxyethylene ether, maleic anhydride, and sodium bisulfite as main raw materials, a new type of surfactant, sodium dicardanol polyoxyethylene sulfosuccinate anionic–nonionic surfactant was synthesized. The effects of reaction temperature, material ratio, and catalyst dosage on esterification reaction were investigated by single factor and orthogonal experiment method, and the reaction conditions of esterification and sulfonation were optimized. Fourier infrared spectroscopy, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance were employed to determine the target product. The surface tension of obtained sodium dicardanol polyoxyethylene sulfosuccinate γ_CMC was measured as 34.54 mM/m, and critical micelle concentration was 1.61 × 10⁻⁴ mol/L. The surface tension of sodium dicardanol polyoxyethylene sulfosuccinate under different pH and salty environments was further tested, and it was found that sodium dicardanol polyoxyethylene sulfosuccinate showed certain resistance to acid-base and salt conditions. The cleaning agent for aluminum was prepared using sodium dicardanol polyoxyethylene sulfosuccinate, exhibiting promising performance characterized by its non-corrosive and environmentally friendly properties.