Dispersion and Dispersed Species Characterization

The characterization of colloids depends on the purposes for which the information is sought, because the total description would be an enormous task. Among the properties to be considered are the nature and/or distributions of purity, crystallinity, defects, size, shape, surface area, pores, adsorbed surface films, internal and surface stresses, stability, and state of agglomeration [57,58], 

Regardless of the type of dispersion and the nature of the technique(s) applied in the characterization, a key question is always whether or not a sample under study has been collected and prepared in such a way that it was and is still representative of the dispersion as it occurred in the original environment from which it was sampled. Particularly with foams and aerosols, and also with emulsions and suspensions, the sampling method can change the nature of the dispersion, as can the subsequent handling and storage methods used. A number of specialist treatises in the literature deal with this aspect in detail (see, for example, the references cited for particles [5], emulsions [6], foams [7], suspensions [8,9] and aerosols [10-12]). 

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Dispersion and Dispersed Species Characterization Table 2.1 Classification of some size methods. 

I 2 Dispersion and Dispersed Species Characterization terminal velocity becomes... 

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