Foams and Emulsions: Their Stability and Breakdown by Solid Particles and Liquid Droplets

摘要

From the standpoint of physical chemistry foams and emulsions are rather complex, multicomponent colloidal systems whose behaviour is often crucially dependent on compsotion, temperature and electrolyte concentration. Industrially encountered examples usually contain commercial or natural surfactants. Commercial antifoam formulations are themselves complex, containing as they often do a dispersed oil in which solid particles are present. It can be appreciated therefore that a system containing both foam and antifoam is somewhat of a "dog's breakfast", and brings to mind a description of colloidal systems given by Hedges~dagger : To some the word "colloidal" conjues up visions of things indefinite in shape, indefinite in chemical composition and physicla properties, fickle in chemical deportment, things infilterable and generally unmanageable.