Rheological methods, stabilization

A very important part of emulsion study is the availability of methodologies to study emulsions. In the past ten years, both dielectric methods (1) and rheological methods (2) have been exploited to study formation mechanisms and the stability of emulsions formed from many different types of oils. Standard techniques, including NMR, chemical analysis techniques, microscopy, interfacial pressure, and interfacial tension, are also being applied to emulsions. These techniques have largely confirmed findings noted in the dielectric and rheological mechanisms. 

Surface layers (adsorbed, solvated, ionic) are of considerable importance in controlling the stability and rheological properties of colloidal systems. Sedimentation methods have proven effective in the measurement of adsorbed layer thickness using equations similar to Equation 1 when the density of the layer could be estimated ( 7,8). The equation can be considerably simplified if the density... 

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