Thermally cleavable surfactants

A method for making a thermally cleavable precursor surfactant compound, comprising the steps of:

• mixing a carboxylate or a phenolate maleimide compound with a monomeric alkylfuran compound and a solvent, to form a solution mixture;
• and
• heating said solution mixture to a first temperature and allowing said carboxylate or phenolate maleimide compound and said monomeric alkylfuran compound to react for an interval of time;
• and
• cooling said solution mixture to room temperature.

A method of making a thermally cleavable surfactant, comprising the steps of:

• mixing a maleimide compound, selected from the group consisting of n-(4-hydroxyphenyl)maleimide and n-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide, with 2-n-dodecylfuran, in a solvent to form a solution mixture;
• heating the solution mixture to a temperature of about 55° C. and allowing said n-(4-hydroxyphenyl)maleimide or said n-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide to react with and said 2-n-dodecylfuran for several hours to form a precursor surfactant solution;
• cooling said precursor surfactant solution to room temperature;
• purifying said precursor surfactant solution to form a precursor surfactant compound;
• and
• adding said precursor surfactant compound to quantity of water and potassium hydroxide to form an aqueous surfactant solution.

A method for making a thermally cleavable surfactant, comprising the steps of:

• providing a maleimide compound comprising a polar group,
• mixing said maleimide compound with an alkylfuran compound and a solvent, to form a solution mixture;
• and
• heating said solution mixture to a first temperature below about 55° C. for a first interval of time and reacting said maleimide compound with said alkylfuran compound to provide a reaction product comprises a thermally cleavable surfactant molecule;
• cooling said solution mixture to room temperature;
• separating and collecting said reaction product;
• and
• dissolving said reaction product into a quantity of water in order to provide a surfactant solution comprising said thermally cleavable surfactant molecule, wherein said thermally cleavable surfactant molecule is stable below said first temperature, and wherein said thermally cleavable surfactant molecule will thermally cleave at a second temperature above said first temperature.