Surfactants

Surfactants, or surface-active agents, are substances that reduce the surface tension between liquids or between a liquid and a solid. They consist of molecules with one end that is hydrophilic (water-attracting) and another that is hydrophobic (water-repelling). This unique structure allows surfactants to stabilize mixtures that typically don’t combine well, such as oil and water, making them essential in products like soaps, detergents, and emulsions. In soft matter physics, surfactants play a key role in understanding the behavior of colloids, foams, and other complex materials, influencing their stability and interactions at the microscopic level.