Synthesis, Surface Activity, and Antifogging Property of Triethanolamine Monolaurate Ester

Triethanolamine monolaurate ester was synthesized by lauric acid and triethanolamine (TEA) with a molar ratio around 1:1 and the esterification process was investigated and optimized. The esterification product of lauric acid with TEA was characterized by infrared spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance. The surface tension (γ_CMC) at the critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined, and the antifogging properties of triethanolamine laurate ester on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films were also measured. The results indicated that the yield of triethanolamine monolaurate ester was more than 69% under optimized esterification condition, the CMC value and γ_CMC of esterification product was 0.91 μg/mL and 22.1 mN/m in aqueous solution at 25 ^oC, respectively. The first-drop time and ten-drop time was 257 and 86 s, respectively, and the antifogging duration of triethanolamine laurate ester on the surface of LDPE film at 60 ^oC was more than 150 h.