For more than 25 years, formulators have worked to develop more environmentally friendly products. These efforts have focused primarily on reducing or eliminating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the formulation, with a trend toward waterborne systems and away from solvent-based systems. More recently, many formulators have been seeking to not only produce compliant systems but to do so using environmentally friendly components.

An emerging surfactant technology promises to be an answer to the current challenges facing formulators. The key to understanding the tremendous advantages of these additives, know as Gemini surfactants, lies in their unique chemistry. Conventional surfactants have a single, hydrophobic group (often referred to as a hydrocarbon tail) connected to a hydrophilic head. In contrast, Gemini surfactants have two hydrophilic heads connected to 2 or 3 hydrophobic tails.

It is because of the dimeric nature of the two-head groups that these materials have been dubbed "Gemini surfactants" after the twins of Greek mythology. The unique molecular structure of Gemini surfactants produces highly efficient, mulitpurpose additives that enable the use of water as a solvent. Specific performance properties of some Gemini surfactants include significantly reduced surface tension at lower use levels, better foam control, improved emulsification, better dispersion of solids, improved wetting, and decreased wetting times.

Although Gemini surfactants are often viewed as promising, emerging technology, Air Products' family of Gemini-based Surfynol, Dynol and newly introduced EnviroGem additives, have been widely used in countless industries, including coatings, inks, adhesives, latex dipping and textile dyes.

Based on the company's proprietary acetylenic diol technology, Surfynol, Dynol, and EnviroGem additives have proven to be multifunctional problem solvers, providing specific performance benefits in a broad range of applications.

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