Composition comprising a fluorine-containing surfactant

1. A composition comprising:

1) a surfactant having:

a cationic group,

a bivalent or polyvalent sulfurous group, and

a fluorinated group;

2) an anion corresponding to the cationic group of the surfactant;

wherein the cationic group is an N-substituted heterocyclic group selected from the group consisting of an N,N-disubstituted imidazolium group, an N,N-disubstituted imidazolinium group, and an N,N-disubstituted benzimidazolium group.

2. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cationic group is an N,N-disubstituted imidazolium group.

3. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated group is a fully fluorinated hydrocarbon group of the type C n F 2n+1 , where n is 5, 6, or 7.

4. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sulfurous group is a thioether.

5. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the anion is selected form the group consisting of a fluoride, a chloride, a bromide, an iodide, an aryl sulfonate, an alkyl sulfonate, an alkyl sulfate, a sulfate, an aryl phosphonate, an alkyl phosphonate, a monoalkyl phosphate, a dialkyl phosphate, a (di)hydrogen phosphate, a phosphate, a hexafluorophosphate, a hydrogen carbonate, a carbonate, a carbamate, an alkyl carbonate, a trifluoromethanesulfonate, a bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide, a nonaflate, and a carboxylate.

6. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the anion is covalently bonded to the surfactant.

7. The composition in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the anion is covalently bonded to a nitrogen atom of the cationic group via an interposed spacer.

8. The composition in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the spacer is a linear or branched C1-C10 alkylene group.

9. The composition in accordance with claim 7 , wherein characterized in that the spacer is a linear or branched C1-C5 alkylene group.

10. The composition in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the spacer is an ethylene group.

11. The composition in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the anion is covalently bonded to the sulfurous group of the surfactant, either directly or via an interposed spacer.

12. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated group is bonded to a nitrogen atom of the cationic group, either directly or via an interposed spacer.

13. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the surfactant has one of the following structures:

where one of the residues R 1 , R 2 or R 3 represents a (CH 2 ) 1-5 (CF 2 ) 3-10 CF 3 group and the two further ones of the residues represent, independently of one another, hydrogen or a linear or branched C1-C10 alkyl group that has a crosslinkable group or is covalently bonded to the anion.

14. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated group is covalently bonded to the sulfurous group, either directly or via an interposed spacer.

15. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated group is a fully fluorinated and linear group of the type C n F 2n+1 , wherein n is from 3 to 10.

16. The composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated group is a fully fluorinated and linear group of the type C n F 2n+1 , wherein n is 5, 6, or 7.

17. A method for altering a property of a solution comprising adding the composition of claim 1 to the solution, wherein said property is surface tension, foaming, an optical property, oxygen solubility or oxygen permeability.

18. A method of preparing a composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein

said method comprises the step of a conversion of an uncharged compound having an N-alkylated heterocyclic group, a divalent sulfurous group, and a fluorinated group with an acid.

19. A method of preparing a composition in accordance with claim 1 , wherein

the method comprises a metathesis for exchanging the anion corresponding to the cationic group of the surfactant containing fluorine.