1. I have a little bit of confusion between surfactants and capping agents, are they both similar?
2. Can the surfactants work as a functionalizing agent or functionalization need a different kind of molecules or agents?
"Capping agent" is pretty much equivalent to "surfactant". But it is a horrible term that seems to have come from researchers ignorant of the decades of work that went before them.
"Functionalizng agent" can mean different things according to discipline and application. In your context, I would assume you mean materials that covalently bond to a surface whereas surfactants usually are physisorbed.
Dear Prashant,
It depends on which system are you interested in. If you are talking about thin films and multilayers, "capping layer" is the usual name for the top layer that prevents the degradation of the system (oxidation, corrosion, etc). But if you are talking about nanostructures in solution, I agree with John Francis Miller and "surfactant" is the right name.
@Prashant Kharey, there is a question in the research gate forum which is very much the same as your question. There are many answers to the question. Please see the following link
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_difference_between_surfactant_and_capping_agent_in_synthesis_of_nanomagnetite
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