The material and enthalpy balances of adsorption of the nonionic surfactants N,N-dimethyldecylamine-N-oxide (C10DAO) and n-octyl β-d-monoglucoside (C8G1) from dilute aqueous solutions onto hydrophilic
silica glass and hydrophobic graphite (graphitized carbon black) were determined at 298.15 K up to the
critical micelle concentration. An automated flow sorption/microcalorimeter system was used for
simultaneous measurements of the adsorption isotherm and the enthalpy isotherm of displacement. The
formation of the adsorption layer is discussed in terms of the differential molar enthalpy data of adsorption
as a function of surface coverage, and the results are related to the aggregated structure of nonionic
surfactants at silica/solution and graphite/solution interfaces studied by atomic force microscopy. On silica,
a low-density adsorption region (exothermic) is followed by a high-density adsorption region to produce
globular surface aggregates of both C8G1 and C10DAO. On graphite, the formation of a flat, ordered monolayer
(exothermic) is followed by the formation of C8G1 surface hemicylinders or, probably, a flat, less ordered
bilayer of C10DAO. In either case, the adsorption in the high-density adsorbate region is endothermic, like
micelle formation in aqueous bulk solution, as is to be expected on the basis of current models of surface
aggregation of nonionic surfactants on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces.