Physico-Chemical Properties of Colloids and Interfaces

Many macroscopic phenomena of colloidal suspensions arc related to the light scattering and the Brownian motion of the single particles. Both properties depend largely on particle size they are, therefore, frequently employed for the characterisation of particle systems (cf. previous chapter). Additionally, the small size of colloids enhances the significance of the interface to the particles physical behaviour. The interfacial properties additionally affect the interaction between particles and are, thus, cmcial for the macroscopic suspension behaviour (e.g. stability). A particular characteristic of interfaces is the electric double layer (EDL), which camiot be ignored in most situations. Its formation and sttucture is closely related to dissolved ionic species and their interaction with the particle surface (e.g. adsorption, precipitation). Last but not least, the interfacial properties can be affected by the solubility behaviour of the particle phase. 

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Rodriguez Patino, J.M., Rodriguez Nino, M.R., Sanchez, C.C. (2007). Physico-chemical properties of surfactant and protein films. Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science, 12, 187-195. 

The physico-chemical properties of colloidal particles and their interfaces to the dispersion medium, the interaction between these particles, the macroscopic... 

Contributions on the physico-chemical behavior of colloids and surfaces in the environment and their use in environmental technology demonstrate the high standard and usefulness of colloid science in this field. Latest results on the interaction of heavy metals and organics with soil minerals, transport properties of pollutants, and the relevance of surfactants as effective modifiers for natural interfaces were presented. Also, the use of colloids and surfactants in environmental technologies for soil remediation and waste water treatment was emphasized. This volume comprises a choice of papers dealing with these subjects. 

This book presents coverage of the dynamics, preparation, application and physico-chemical properties of polymer solutions and colloids. It also covers the adsorption characteristics at and the adhesion properties of polymer surfaces. It is written by 23 contemporary experts within their field. Main headings include Structural ordering in polymer solutions Influence of surface Structure on polymer surface behaviour Advances in preparations and appUcations of polymeric microspheres Latex particle heterogeneity origins, detection, and consequences Electrokinetic behaviour of polymer colloids Interaction of polymer latices with other inorganic colloids Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of bridging flocculation Metal complexation in polymer systems Adsorption of quaternary ammonium compounds art polymer surfaces Adsorption onto polytetrafluoroethylene from aqueous solutions Adsorption from polymer mixtures at the interface with solids Polymer adsorption at oxide surface Preparation of oxide-coated cellulose fibre The evaluation of acid-base properties of polymer surfaces by wettability measurements. Each chapter is well referenced. 

This chapter provides a brief introduction to the fundamentals in colloid science. It addresses the physico-chemical properties of single colloidal particles as well as the processes at the interface and the structure of the interfacial layer. It further examines the non-viscous interactions that occur among colloidal particles. For detailed explanation, the reader is referred to the textbooks of Adamson and Gast (1997), Hunter (1988, 1993), Lyklema (1991, 1995, 2000), or Israelachvili (1992). 

Kirkham, J., Brookes, S.J., Shore, R.C., Wood, S.R., Smith, D.A., Zhang, J., Chen, H. and Robinson, C. (2002) Physico-chemical properties of crystal surfaces in matrix-mineral interactions during mammalian biomineralisation. Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science, 7, 124—32. 

Nowadays it is well established that the interactions between different macromolecular ingredients (i.e., protein + protein, polysaccharide + polysaccharide, and protein + polysaccharide) are of great importance in determining the texture and shelf-life of multicomponent food colloids. These interactions affect the structure-forming properties of biopolymers in the bulk and at interfaces thermodynamic activity, self-assembly, sin-face loading, thermodynamic compatibility/incompatibility, phase separation, complexation and rheological behaviour. Therefore, one may infer that a knowledge of the key physico-chemical features of such biopolymer-biopolymer interactions, and their impact on stability properties of food colloids, is essential in order to be able to understand and predict the functional properties of mixed biopolymers in product formulations. 

Obviously, then, any fundamental analysis of cell functioning must be based on proper physico-chemical understanding of aqueous systems including the topics usually lumped together under the heading of surface and colloid chemistry. Thus, we take as our starting point water and aqueous solutions, and proceed to discuss how the properties of these may be affected by proximity to the various interfaces of the cell. 

Although this book significantly differs from the earlier Colloid Chemistry textbook, it nevertheless focuses on the specifics of educational and research work carried out at the Colloid Chemistry Division at the Chemistry Department of MSU. Many results presented in this book represent the art developed in the laboratories of the Colloid Chemistry Division, in the Laboratory of Physical-Chemical Mechanics (headed by E.D. Shchukin since 1967) of the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Science, and in other research institutions and industrial laboratories under the guidance of the authors and with their direct participation. Special attention is devoted in the book to the broad capabilities that the use of surfactants offers for controlling the properties and behavior of disperse systems and various materials due to the specific physico-chemical interactions taking place at interfaces. At the same time the authors made every effort to avoid duplication of material traditionally covered in textbooks on physical chemistry, electrochemistry, polymer chemistry, etc. These include adsorption from the gas phase on solid surfaces (by microporous adsorbents), the structure of the dense part of the electrical double layer, electrocapillary phenomena, specific properties of polymer colloids, and some other areas. 

Shinoda, K., Nakagawa, T., Tamamushi, B., and Isemura, T., Colloidal Surfactants Some Physico-Chemical Properties, Academic Press, New York, 1963. Starov, V., Spontaneous rise of surfactant solutions into vertical hydrophobic capillaries, J. Colloid Interface ScL, 270, 180-186, 2003. 

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