Tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide

Tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CAS 1119-97-7), commonly abbreviated as TTAB, is a quaternary ammonium cationic surfactant used across personal care, cleaning, and industrial processing applications. It functions as an emulsifier, wetting agent, biocide, and surface conditioner, with performance driven by its cationic charge interacting with negatively charged substrates and microbial membranes.

In personal care formulations, TTAB acts as a conditioning agent and emulsifier in hair care and skin products, helping to deposit active ingredients onto hair or skin surfaces. Industrial and institutional cleaning formulations incorporate it as an antimicrobial active, providing bactericidal and fungicidal efficacy against a broad range of organisms.

Textile and leather processing operations use it as a softening and antistatic agent, improving handle and reducing static charge on finished fabrics during the manufacturing process. In paper manufacturing, it supports surface modification and retention aid applications where cationic charge is required to interact with anionic fiber surfaces for better results.

TTAB is typically supplied as a white to off-white crystalline powder or as an aqueous solution at varying active concentrations for different industrial needs. Technical and high-purity laboratory grades are both commercially available, with purity specifications commonly ranging from 98% to 99%+ for research and industrial use.