177d Colloidal Interactions at an Oil-Water Interface

Eric M. Furst1, John P. Pantina1, Sven Reynaert2, and Jan Vermant2. (1) University of Delaware, Department of Chemical Engineering, 150 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716, (2) Department of Chemical Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit, W. de croylaan 46, Leuven, Belgium

The ability of colloidal particles to act as emulsion stabilizers was first observed by Pickering [1], who noted that stability arose from the strong attachment of particles to the two-phase interface. Due to the growing interest in the aggregation and rheology of these two-dimensional suspensions, we study the far-field and contact interactions between colloidal particles at a decane-water interface using time-shared optical tweezers. A long-range repulsive force is observed with a power-law dependence on particle separation that is in agreement with dipolar interactions mediated by the fractional dissociation of ionizable surface groups [2]. Furthermore, we find that anionic surfactants added to the aqueous sub-phase result in time-dependent interactions. Finally, the particle interactions are highly anisotropic and exhibit interesting multi-body effects. These experiments provide new insight into the aggregation kinetics, structure and mechanical response of two-dimensional colloidal gels. [1] S. U. Pickering, J. Chem. Soc. 91, 2001 (1907). [2] R. Aveyard et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 88:246102 (2002).


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