Agglomeration, particle, dispersions

As the particles in a coUoidal dispersion diffuse, they coUide with one another. In the simplest case, every coUision between two particles results in the formation of one agglomerated particle,ie, there is no energy barrier to agglomeration. Applying Smoluchowski s theory to this system, the half-life, ie, the time for the number of particles to become halved, is expressed as foUows, where Tj is the viscosity of the medium, k Boltzmann s constant T temperature and A/q is the initial number of particles. 

Both aggregation inefficiency (Adler, 1981) and particle disruption (Hartel and Randolph, 1986) increase with particle size. These dispersive processes can counteract the positive effect of aggregation thereby imposing agglomerate particle size limitations and may give rise to apparent size-independence. 

PVA Particles. Dispersions were prepared in order to examine stabilization for a core polymer having a glass transition temperature below the dispersion polymerization temperature. PVA particles prepared with a block copolymer having M PS) x 10000 showed a tendency to flocculate at ambient temperature during redispersion cycles to remove excess block copolymer, particularly if the dispersion polymerization had not proceeded to 100 conversion of monomer. It is well documented that on mixing solutions of polystyrene and poly(vinyl acetate) homopolymers phase separation tends to occur (10,11), and solubility studies (12) of PS in n-heptane suggest that PS blocks with Mn(PS) 10000 will be close to dissolution when dispersion polymerizations are performed at 3 +3 K. Consequently, we may postulate that for soft polymer particles the block copolymer is rejected from the particle because of an incompatibility effect and is adsorbed at the particle surface. If the block copolymer desorbs from the particle surface, then particle agglomeration will occur unless rapid adsorption of other copolymer molecules occurs from a reservoir of excess block copolymer. 

Note that the particle diffusion term is ignored, just like particle dispersion due to SGS motions (this was found justified in a separate simulation). The shape of the sink term in the right-hand term of this equation is due to Von Smoluchowski (1917) while the local value of the agglomeration kernel /i0 is assumed to depend on the local 3-D shear rate according to a proposition due to Mumtaz et al. (1997). 

Other polymer materials which can be prepared include latexes, or particle agglomerates, by dispersed phase polymerisation. These can be either hydrophilic or hydrophobic in nature, or may have core-shell morphologies. They can be employed as support materials for a number of catalyst systems. Polymerisation of both phases of the emulsions produces composite materials, which have found use as selective membranes for the separation of mixtures of liquids with similar physical properties. 

Processing Stability. As with elastomers or other rubber modified polymers, the presence of double bonds in the elastomeric phase increases sensitivity to thermal oxidation either during processing or end use. Antioxidants are generally added at the compounding step to ensure retention of physical properties. Physical effects can also have marked effects on mechanical properties due to orientation, molded-in stress, and the agglomeration of dispersed rubber particles under very severe conditions. Proper drying conditions are essential to prevent... 

Coarse Particles Add 100 mL of water to 20 g of sample, and mix for 15 min at not less than 5000 rpm. Transfer the mixture to a wet sieve of nominal mesh aperture (75 p,m), previously dried at 100° to 105° and weighed, and wash with three 500-mL volumes of water, ensuring that any agglomerates are dispersed. Dry at 100° to 105°, and weigh. The difference in weight corresponds to the measure of coarse particles. 

A second principle applying to these model systems is derived from their colloidal nature. With the usual thermodynamic parameters fixed, the systems come to a steady state in which they are either agglomerated or dispersed. No dynamic equilibrium exists between dispersed and agglomerated states. In the solid-soil systems, the particles (provided they are monodisperse, i.e., all of the same size and shape) either adhere to the substrate or separate from it. In the liquid-soil systems, the soil assumes a definite contact angle with the substrate, which may be anywhere from 0° (complete coverage of the substrate) to 180° (complete detachment). The governing thermodynamic parameters include pressure, temperature, concentration of dissolved... 

Interlayer dielectric (ILD) CMP typically uses a fumed silica slurry dispersed in an aqueous medium at a pH near 11 Fumed silica is a widely adapted abrasive for ILD CMP because of its inexpensive price, high purity, and colloidal stability. However, fumed silica is difficult to disperse in an aqueous system, and it is difficult to control powder processing because of the large specific surface area of 90 15 mVg, making it very reactive. ILD CMP slurry was prepared at pH 11 to accelerate the chemical attack on the deposited PETEOS film on the wafer surface. But silica particles dispersed in aqueous media are partially dissolved at pH 11. Consequently the removal rate decreased and microscratches were generated on the wafer surface due to agglomeration of silica particles as surface potentials decreased. ... 

The result obtained by the transmission electron microscope observations of the freeze-fracture replica on trehalose solutionssuggested that the ice-crystal nucleation is enhanced in the solution with higher trehalose concentration. Based on these experimental results and assuming a similar nucleation process between ice and clathrate hydrates, we can speculate that trehalose, as a kinetic inhibitor, may not inhibit the nucleation but may work as an anti-agglomerant, keeping small hydrate particles dispersed as they form. 

---