Stabilization of dispersed particles

The steric stabilization of dispersed particles by both grafted chains and by physically adsorbed polymers has been much studied in recent years. In the present paper we extend earlier work on... 

The stability of dispersed particles towards aggregation and flocculation is described by the DLVO (Dejarguin, Landau, Verwey, Overbeek) theory. Taking into account all forces applied on the particles, the theory allows a calculation of the energy barrier to avoid permanent contact. This.is what is meant by kinetic stability of the dispersions. The forces involved are of two kinds ... 

Content uniformity and long-term stability of a pharmaceutical product are required for a consistent and accurate dosing. Aggregation of dispersed particles and resulting instabilities such as flocculation, sedimentation (in suspensions), or creaming and coalescence (in emulsions) often represent major problems in formulating pharmaceutical disperse systems. 

The pigmented system that is comprised of dispersed particles is stabilized to preclude reagglomeration and/or flocculation Stabilization. 

G.J. Fleer, J.M.H.M. Scheutjens and B. Vincent, The Stability of Dispersions of Hard Spherical Particles in the Presence of Nonadsorbing Polymer in Polymer Adsorption and Dispersion Stability, E.D. Goddard and B. Vincent (eds.), American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 1984, ACS Symposium Series 240, Chapter 16, pp. 245-263. 

Emulsifier is not a necessary component for emulsion polymerization if ihe following conditions are satisfied The particles are formed by homogeneous nucleation mechanism, and the particles are stabilized by factor(s) olher than emulsifier. As to the latter, the sulfate end group that is the residue of persulfate initiator serves for stabilization of dispersion via interparticle electrorepulsive force (20). When the stabilization mechanism works well, a small number of particles grow during polymerization without aggregation, keeping the size distribution narrow. Finally stable, monodisperse, anionic particles are obtained. 

Once the dirty spot is removed from the substrate being laundered, it is important that it not be redeposited. Solubilization of the detached material in micelles of surfactant has been proposed as one mechanism that contributes to preventing the redeposition of foreign matter. Any process that promotes the stability of the detached dirt particles in the dispersed form will also facilitate this. We see in Chapter 11 how electrostatic effects promote colloidal stability. The adsorption of ions —especially amphipathic surfactant ions —onto the detached matter assists in blocking redeposition by stabilizing the dispersed particles. Materials such as carbox-ymethylcellulose are often added to washing preparations since these molecules also adsorb on the detached dirt particles and interfere with their redeposition. 

The work was planned on the basis of a model of a dispersed solid particle onto which one type of sequences of a BG copolymer is adsorbed selectively while the other type sequence is dissolved in the dispersion medium. A sketch of this model is shown in Figure 1. The model is the result of applying the same arguments which had been advanced (12) in discussing the mechanism of stabilization of polymeric oil-in-oil emulsions by BG copolymers to the problem of stabilization of dispersions of solid particles in organic media. Previously, essentially the same arguments had led to the demonstration of micelle formation of styrene-butadiene block copolymers in organic media under certain conditions (15). 

The graft copolymers were already used for preparation and stabilization of polymer particles by Barrett [1]. He synthesized a poly(12-hydrostearic acid) macromonomer with a methacrylate end group. This macromonomer was copolymerized with MMA to obtain a preformed comb-graft copolymer, which was successfully used as stabilizer in nonaqueous dispersions of MMA. 

Roughly 60 years ago Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek developed a theory to explain the aggregation of aqueous dispersions quantitatively [66,157,158], This theory is called DLVO theory. In DLVO theory, coagulation of dispersed particles is explained by the interplay between two forces the attractive van der Waals force and the repulsive electrostatic double-layer force. These forces are sometimes referred to as DLVO forces. Van der Waals forces promote coagulation while the double layer-force stabilizes dispersions. Taking into account both components we can approximate the energy per unit area between two infinitely extended solids which are separated by a gap x ... 

The stability of dispersions in aqueous media can often be described by the DLVO theory, which contains the double-layer repulsion and the van der Waals attraction. In some applications other effects are important, which are not considered in DLVO theory. At short range and for hydrophilic particles the hydration repulsion prevents aggregation. Hydrophobic particles, in contrast, tend to aggregate due to the hydrophobic force. 

The next four chapters provide an introduction to the concepts and techniques needed to study and understand dispersion stability. Some approaches to the characterization of emulsions, foams and suspensions, and of their dispersed species (droplets, bubbles and particles)are described in Chapter 2. The concepts of surface tension, wettability and surface activity, which are important to the stability and properties of all types of dispersion, are described in Chapter 3. To this is added the nature of electrically charged surfaces in Chapter 4. All of these aspects are brought together in Chapter 5 in an introduction to the stability of dispersions. 

So far LII has only been applied for aerosol processes without the consideration of particles dispersed in liquids. First, investigations were carried out with re-dispersed carbon blacks. Besides furnace blacks (Printex A, G, 25, 35, and 55), various gas carbon black particles (FW 18, Colour Black SI60 and S170, Printex U and U140) were also considered. The particles were suspended in different liquids and dispersed by ultrasonic excitation. The stability of the suspension was recorded by measuring the aggregate size distribution (diffusion diameter) with DLS. Moreover, this was done before and after the LII measurements in order to control the stability of the particle suspension. To achieve LII... 

Addition of soluble macromolecules (polymers) in the colloidal dispersion can stabilize the colloidal particles due to the adsorption of the polymers to the particle surfaces. The soluble polymers are often called protective agents or colloids. If the protective agents are ionic and have the same charge as the particles, the electrical double-layer repulsive forces will be increased and thus the stability of the colloidal particles will be enhanced. In addition, the adsorbed polymers may help weaken the van der Waals attraction forces among particles. However, the double-layer repulsion and the van der Waals attraction cannot account for the entire stabilization of the particle dispersions. 

The most widely used emulsion solvent evaporation method for preparation of nanoparticles using PLGA requires surfactants to stabilize the dispersed particle [23]. This method often has a problem that the surfactant remains at the surface of the particles and is then difficult to remove when PVA is used as surfactant. Other surfactants such as the span series or tween series, PEO, etc. are also used... 

Jekel, M.R., The stabilization of dispersed mineral particles by adsorption of humic substances, Water Resour. Res., 20, 1543, 1986. 

The stability of disperse systems is controlled by interparticulary attraction and repulsion forces, and by the range of the free energy of the particle surface. Pure water/oil-systems are not stable. 

Singh. B.P. et al., Stability of dispersions of colloidal alumina particles in aqueous suspensions, J. Colloid Interf. Sci., 291, 181, 2005. 

The materials we studied are non-aqueous dispersions of polymer particles. Colloidal stability of these particles in hydrocarbon solvents is conferred by a surface covering of a highly swollen polymer (the stabilizer) on a second polymer, insoluble in the medium (the core polymer), which comprises 90 % of the material (11). These particles are prepared by dispersion polymerization polymerization of a monomer soluble in the medium to yield an insoluble polymer, carried out in the presence of a soluble polymer which becomes the stabilizer. In the examples discussed here, the core polymer is formed by free radical polymerization. Hydrogen abstraction from the soluble polymer present in the reaction medium... 

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