Application of surfactants in dispersion systems

Author: Liang Wenping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: Dispersed science is a field that is very broad but relatively poorly understood. There are many dispersed problems encountered in production and daily life. For example, insecticide sprays and hair sprays belong to gas/liquid dispersed systems; dust is a gas/solid dispersed system; soaps, structured liquid detergents, and many cosmetics are liquid/liquid or solid/liquid dispersed systems; plastics, rubber, coatings, and inks are solid/liquid dispersed systems where the hydrophobic phase serves as the continuous medium. Generally, various dispersed systems (aerosols, emulsions, and suspensions) are thermodynamically unstable, meaning they spontaneously coalesce, leading to significant phase separation. On the other hand, to disperse particles in a medium, external energy is required. The interfacial enrichment property of surfactants can reduce the interfacial energy between two phases, making it easier to disperse particles into the medium, increasing the interfacial area, refining the particles, and thus enhancing the stability of the dispersed system. It is therefore evident that surfactants play a crucial role in the preparation of dispersed systems and in increasing their stability. Nanotechnology has been widely recognized as one of the three most important technologies of the new century. The preparation and application of nanoparticles are a branch of nanotechnology. Many nanoparticles, especially those of inorganic salts and metal oxides, are prone to agglomerating due to their high surface energy, which affects their application performance. Through surface modification by surfactants to reduce surface energy, it is an important means to inhibit nanoparticle agglomeration. This book is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the general principles of the role of surfactants in the preparation and stabilization of dispersed systems, and appropriately introduces the latest developments in this field; Chapter 2 introduces the principles and selection methods of surfactants in the production and use of coatings; Chapter 3 provides an in-depth discussion of the mechanism of cement hydration (dispersion) process and the influence of surfactants; Chapter 4 introduces a new application field of surfactants—zeolite synthesis; Chapter 5 discusses the application of surfactants in the ink and printing industry; and Chapter 6 introduces the surface modification of Ca001 and its application in polyvinyl chloride products.