1. Cleaning & Disinfectants

• Surfactant Properties: SDBS is a surfactant, meaning it has both a hydrophilic (water-attracting) head and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) tail. This allows it to interact with both water and oily or greasy substances, effectively breaking down and lifting dirt. 
• Emulsification: SDBS can emulsify, or disperse, oily and greasy substances in water, making them easier to wash away. 
• Detergency: SDBS helps to remove dirt and stains by surrounding the particles and suspending them in the cleaning solution so they can be rinsed away.
• Enhanced Cleaning: By improving the removal of dirt and organic matter, SDBS can indirectly enhance the effectiveness of disinfectants by allowing them to come into direct contact with microorganisms.
• Synergistic Effect: SDBS can work synergistically with certain disinfectants, potentially enhancing their antimicrobial activity. For example, in chlorinated wash solutions, it can improve contact with microbial surfaces and enhance inactivation of pathogens.

2. Personal Care

• Shampoos: SDBS is used to remove dirt, oil, and product buildup from hair. 
• Emulsifier: It helps to mix oil and water, enabling the removal of oily substances from surfaces. 
• Foaming Agent: SDBS creates a lather, which is desirable in many personal care products for its cleansing and sensory appeal.
• Body washes: Similar to shampoos, it helps cleanse the skin by emulsifying and lifting away dirt and oils. 
• Toothpastes: SDBS helps in cleaning teeth by creating a foam and removing debris.

3. Fabric Solutions

• Detergent: SDBS is a type of anionic surfactant, meaning it has a negative charge. This property allows it to emulsify oily and greasy substances, making them soluble in water and easily washed away from fabrics. 
• Antistatic Agent: SDBS helps to dissipate static electricity by providing a conductive pathway for the charge to flow away. This is particularly useful for synthetic fabrics like polyester, which tend to build up static charges.
• Wetting agent: SDBS acts as a wetting agent in fabric by lowering the surface tension of water, allowing it to spread more easily and penetrate the fibers. This enhanced wetting allows for better cleaning, dyeing, and other textile processes.

4. Agrochemicals

• Surfactant and Emulsifier: SDBS is an anionic surfactant, meaning it has a hydrophilic (water-attracting) head and a hydrophobic (water-repelling) tail. This property allows it to reduce surface tension and help mix oil-based pesticide ingredients with water, creating stable emulsions. 
• Improved Dispersion and Solubility: By acting as a surfactant, SDBS helps to disperse the active ingredients of pesticides more evenly in the spray solution, preventing them from settling out and ensuring they are applied uniformly to crops.

5. Paints, Coatings & Adhesives

• Emulsification: SDBS helps to create stable emulsions by reducing the surface tension between oil and water-based components in paints, coatings, and adhesives. This is crucial for achieving a uniform, consistent product. 
• Dispersion: It aids in dispersing pigments and other solid particles evenly throughout the liquid base of paints and coatings, preventing clumping and ensuring a smooth, even application. 
• Wetting: SDBS improves the ability of the liquid formulation to spread and wet the surface it's applied to, enhancing adhesion and preventing beading or uneven coverage. 
• Antistatic Properties: By reducing static electricity, SDBS can prevent dust or other particles from being attracted to the wet coating or adhesive, leading to a cleaner finish and better adhesion to the substrate.

6. Performance Chemicals

• As a template: SDBS, being an anionic surfactant, can form micelles (spherical or rod-like aggregates) in solution above its critical micelle concentration (CMC). These micelles can act as ""soft templates"" for the synthesis of materials with specific morphologies.
• As a catalyst: SDBS can facilitate reactions by acting as a catalyst. For example, it has been used to catalyze the Knoevenagel-Michael tandem reaction of aromatic aldehydes with ethyl acetoacetate, hydrazine, and 4-hydroxycoumarin.