Abstract
We show theoretically that under certain conditions colloidal particles can give rise to spontaneous emulsification of oil/water systems. The capillary penalty to create a large interface is compensated by entropic contributions connected to ionic dissociation on the colloid surfaces. The colloids themselves are absorbed on the oil/water interface. The conditions for spontaneous emulsification are: (1) oil-water interfacial tension is low (a few mN/m or lower); (2) interfacial tension between colloids and oil is smaller than between colloids and water (in the absence of charge effects); (3) density of chargeable groups on the colloids is large (order 1 nm−2); (4) Debye length is comparable to colloid size
| Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 030401/1-030401/4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Physical Review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics |
| Volume | 80 |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |