Colloidal surfaces

Rowell and co-workers [62-64] have developed an electrophoretic fingerprint to uniquely characterize the properties of charged colloidal particles. They present contour diagrams of the electrophoretic mobility as a function of the suspension pH and specific conductance, pX. These fingerprints illustrate anomalies and specific characteristics of the charged colloidal surface. A more sophisticated electroacoustic measurement provides the particle size distribution and potential in a polydisperse suspension. Not limited to dilute suspensions, in this experiment, one characterizes the sonic waves generated by the motion of particles in an alternating electric field. O Brien and co-workers have an excellent review of this technique [65]. 

The forces between colloidal surfaces in solution can be measured by a number of clever techniques. One important method involves x-ray diffraction from an ordered... 

J. L. Ortega-V nuesa and R. Hidalgo-Alvarez, Colloids Surfaces B Biointerfaces, 80, 365 (1993). 

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