Triethanolamine monolaurate ester was synthesized by lauric acid and triethanolamine （TEA） with a molar ratio around 1：1 and the esterification process was investigated and optimized. The esterification product of lauric acid with TEA was characterized by infrared spectra and nuclear magnetic resonance. The surface tension （TCMC） at the critical micelle concentration （CMC） was determined, and the antifogging properties of triethanolamine laurate ester on low-density polyethylene （LDPE） films were also measured. The results indicated that the yield of triethanolamine monolaurate ester was more than 69% under optimized esterification condition, the CMC value and 7CMC of esterification product was 0.91 p.g/mL and 22.1 mN/m in aqueous solution at 25 ℃, respectively. The first-drop time and ten-drop time was 257 and 86 s, respectively, and the antifogging duration of triethanolamine laurate ester on the surface of LDPE film at 60 ℃ was more than 150 h.
