Stabilisation steric

Underwood S M, Taylor J R and van Megen W 1994 Sterically stabilised colloidal particles as model hard spheres Langmuir O 3550-4... 

Jansen J W, de Kruif C G and Vrij A 1986 Attractions in sterically stabilised silica dispersions. I. Theory of phase separation J. Colloid Interface Sc/. 114 471-80... 

If the polymer layers increases the stability of the dispersion, it is denoted steric stabilisation. The polymer must fulfil two key criteria (i) the polymer needs to be of sufficient coverage to coat all the particle surfaces with a dense polymer layer, and (ii) the polymer layer is firmly attached to the surface. How this is engineered is beyond the scope of this article, but the consequences of not satisfying these criteria are informative in understanding the effect that polymers have on the overall interparticle interaction. Since complete or incomplete coverage of the particles results in very different properties (i.e stability or instability), this is clearly one way in which minimal change in initial conditions can lead to major differences in product. 

Vincent, B., Edwards, J., Emmett, S. and Jones, A. (1986) Depletion flocculation in dispersions of sterically-stabilised particles (soft spheres). Colloids Surf,... 

Standard theories of steric stabilisation assume that the free energy of the system can be expressed as a sum of two terms, volume restriction and osmotic, which are mutually independent. 

In studying the stability of colloidal dispersions it is of considerable advantage if the particles concerned are monodisperse and spherical. For aqueous, charge-stabilised systems polymer latices have proved invaluable in this regard. With non-aqueous systems, steric stabilisation is usually required. In this case it... 

Adamina M, et al. Encapsulation into sterically stabilised liposomes enhances the immunogenicity of melanoma-associated Melan-A/MART-1 epitopes. Br J Cancer 2004 90 263. 

Already the ancient Egyptians knew that one can keep soot particles dispersed in water when they were incubated with gum arabicum, an exudate from the stems of acaia trees, or egg white. In this way ink was made. The reason for the stabilizing effect is the steric repulsive force cause by adsorbed polymers. In the first case these are a mixture of polysaccharide and plycoprotein, in the second case it is mainly the protein albumin. Steric stabilisation of dispersions is very important in many industrial applications. Direct quantitative measurements were... 

The stability of many protected colloidal dispersions cannot be explained solely on the basis of electric double layer repulsion and van der Waals attraction other stabilising mechanisms must be investigated. Steric stabilisation is a name which is used (somewhat loosely) to describe several different possible stabilising mechanisms involving adsorbed macromolecules. These include the following ... 

Steric stabilisers are usually block copolymer molecules (e.g. poly (ethylene oxide) surfactants), with a lyophobic part (the anchor group) which attaches strongly to the particle surface, and a lyophilic chain which trails freely in the dispersion medium. The conditions for stabilisation are similar to those for polymer solubility outlined in the previous section. If the dispersion medium is a good solvent for the lyophilic moieties of the adsorbed polymer, interpenetration is not favoured and interparticle repulsion results but if, on the other hand, the dispersion medium is a poor solvent, interpenetration of the polymer chains is favoured and attraction results. In the latter case, the polymer chains will interpenetrate to the point where further interpenetration is prevented by elastic repulsion. 

Table 8.4 Classification of sterically stabilised dispersions and comparison of critical flocculation temperatures (c.f.t) with theta-temperatures112 (By courtesy of Academic Press Inc.)...

Several quantitative theories of steric stabilisation have been developed over the last few decades112,114,210-212. 

The forces between sterically stabilised particles have been measured with a compression cell (see page 223)213, and have been shown (as expected in the light of the foregoing discussion) to be short-range, with a range comparable with twice the contour length of the lyophilic chains. For sterically stabilised systems the total interaction energy can be written as... 

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