(19b) PFAS Surfactants at Air-Water and Solid-Water Interfaces

Surface active per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) find niche applications because of their high chemical and thermal stability, their incompatibility with both water and hydrocarbons, and their unique ability to render surfaces non-stick. However, several widely used PFAS surfactants have been found extremely resistant to degradation, bioaccumulate, and damage human health, consequently causing great concern. In the context of developing materials and processes for sequestering PFAS surfactants from the environment, [1-3] we research how such surfactants behave at air-water interfaces and solid surfaces, and address the questions: What aspects of the PFAS chemical structure control the partitioning of PFAS to the air-water interface and their adsorption on surfaces? How PFAS organize at the interface/surface? How does the PFAS self-assembly in the bulk solution influence the PFAS behavior at the interface/surface?

1. Alves, A. V.; Tsianou, M.; Alexandridis, P. “Fluorinated surfactant adsorption on mineral surfaces: Implications for PFAS fate and transport in the environment” Surfaces 2020, 3 (4), 516-566. DOI: 10.3390/surfaces3040037
2. Kancharla, S.; Alexandridis, P.; Tsianou, M. “Sequestration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by adsorption: Surfactant and surface aspects” Curr. Opin. Colloid Interface Sci. 2022, 58, 101571. DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2022.101571
3. Tsianou, M.; Bedrov, D.; Alexandridis, P. “Surfactants in the environment: Self-assembly of PFAS pollutants in solution and at interfaces” ACS Symp. Ser. 2023, 1457, 443-462. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2023-1457.ch016