Interfacial tension sedimentation volume

The sedimentation volume method is a well-established technique for studying the suspension stability of powders in liquids. The behaviour of such systems is governed mainly by van der Waals and electrostatic interactions. It is important to note that the former interactions can be related to the interfacial tensions of the solid particles suspended in a liquid (61), whereas the effect of the latter interactions can be considered negligible, e.g. for polymer particles, particularly in non-aqueous media (62). When two solid particles are brought into contact and if only van der Waals forces are considered, the free energy of adhesion of two solid phases in a liquid can be determined as follows ... 

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