Surfactants and CMC

Interfacially active compounds like surfactants consist of a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic part, hence they adsorb preferably at interfaces. There they reduce the surface or interfacial tension, respectively, which is essential for good washing performance or the stability of foams. The amount of surfactant molecules that can be accommodated on a certain surface area is limited. The only possibility for ‘excess’ surfactant molecules to shield their hydrophobic parts from water is by forming micelles.

The characteristic surfactant concentration that, when reached, initiates the formation of micelles is called “critical micelle concentration” (CMC). It can easily be determined with a measurement series that varies the surfactant concentration: below the CMC the surface tension decreases with increasing concentration because more and more surfactant molecules adsorb at the surface. Above the CMC, further added surfactant serves only to form micelles and the surface tension stays constant.