CONDITIONS OF STABILITY IN SUSPENSIONS AND EMULSIONS

CONDITIONS OF STABILITY IN SUSPENSIONS AND EMULSIONS The following experimental values were obtained by Porter ... 

Phenomena at Liquid Interfaces. The area of contact between two phases is called the interface three phases can have only aline of contact, and only a point of mutual contact is possible between four or more phases. Combinations of phases encountered in surfactant systems are L—G, L—L—G, L—S—G, L—S—S—G, L—L, L—L—L, L—S—S, L—L—S—S—G, L—S, L—L—S, and L—L—S—G, where G = gas, L = liquid, and S = solid. An example of an L—L—S—G system is an aqueous surfactant solution containing an emulsified oil, suspended soHd, and entrained air (see Emulsions Foams). This embodies several conditions common to practical surfactant systems. First, because the surface area of a phase iacreases as particle size decreases, the emulsion, suspension, and entrained gas each have large areas of contact with the surfactant solution. Next, because iaterfaces can only exist between two phases, analysis of phenomena ia the L—L—S—G system breaks down iato a series of analyses, ie, surfactant solution to the emulsion, soHd, and gas. It is also apparent that the surfactant must be stabilizing the system by preventing contact between the emulsified oil and dispersed soHd. FiaaHy, the dispersed phases are ia equiUbrium with each other through their common equiUbrium with the surfactant solution. 

The technological importance of xanthan gum rests principally on its unusual and distinctive properties25 28 29 49,116,251,257-260 in aqueous solution. Some of these properties are (1) remarkable emulsion-stabilizing and particle-suspension ability, (2) low concentrations yield high viscosities, (3) recoverable shear-thinning (extremely large shear dependence of viscosity), (4) little variation in viscosity with temperature under normal conditions of industrial utilization, and (5) gel formation when mixed with certain other, nongelling polysaccharides. 

Coalescence is also controlled by the condition of drop surfaces. Surfactants reduce the interfacial tension and help preserve drop stability, therefore affecting drop sizes. Surface-active materials are important in suspension/emulsion polymerization processes. 

For practical purposes, styrene—DVB copolymers have commonly been obtained by the suspension polymerization method,[53, 54] which is well known to consist of heating and agitating a solution of initiator in monomers with an excess of water containing a stabilizer of the oil-in-water emulsion. Polymerization proceeds in suspended monomer droplets and, in this way, a beaded copolymer is obtained. While looking very simple, this procedure can provide many complications that significantly change the properties of the beaded product as compared to the properties of materials prepared by bulk copolymerization. AU parameters of the suspension copolymerization have to be strictly controlled, since even small deviations from optimal conditions of the synthesis can serve as an additional source of heterogeneity in the copolymer beads. [55]... 

Inverse (or water-in-oil) emulsions (315, 401) are emulsions in which an aqueous phase is dispersed within a continuous organic phase. This system is essentially the inverse of a conventional emulsion, hence the name inverse emulsion. The organic phase is typically an inert hydrocarbon (such as mixed xylenes or low-odour kerosenes), and the aqueous phase contains a water-soluble monomer such as acrylamide (268). The aqueous phase may be dispersed as discrete droplets or as a bicontinuous phase (335), depending upon the formulation and conditions of the inverse emulsion. The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of the stabiliser determines the form and stability of an inverse emulsion, with HLB values of less than 7 being appropriate for inverse emulsions. Steric stabilisers such as the Span , Tween , and Plutonic series of nonionic surfactants are usually used in preparing inverse emulsions. Inverse emulsions, suspensions, miniemulsions (199), and microemulsions have been prepared, primarily as a function of the stabiliser concentration. Commercial products produced by inverse emulsion polymerisation include polyacrylamide, a water-soluble polymer used extensively as a thickener. 

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