Vibrational sum frequency generation
(VSFG) spectroscopy, conductometric
titration measurements, and EDX elemental mapping were used to examine
surfactant adsorption to the gypsum (010) surface and assess the effects
of surfactant adsorption on gypsum solubility in aqueous solutions.
Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride
(DTAC) were used as anionic and cationic surfactants, respectively.
Gypsum/SDS interactions result in an ordered precipitate layer on
the gypsum surface after water evaporation; gypsum/DTAC interaction
did not show a similar effect, despite exposure of gypsum to equivalent
amounts of surfactant. VSFG spectra showed that SDS molecules adsorb
with their chains parallel to the gypsum surface; spectra from gypsum
surfaces treated with DTAC, however, showed no measurable response,
implying that these surfactants form disorganized aggregates with
no polar ordering. Vibrational data were supported by independent
EDX measurements that show a uniform distribution of SDS across the
gypsum surface. In contrast, element-specific EDX images showed that
DTAC clustered in tightly localized patches that left most of the
gypsum surface exposed. The uniform adsorption of SDS on the gypsum
surface suppresses long-term dissolution up to 40% when compared to
samples exposed to DTAC. Gypsum samples in DTAC-containing solutions
lose approximately the same amount of material to dissolution as samples
immersed in pure water.