Thermodynamics, Kinetics and Rheology of Interfacial Layers

4. Characterisation of Emulsion and Foam Systems
Beside the characterisation of adsorption layers at liquid interfaces also complex liquid systems, such as foams and emulsions are studied. Especially the correlation between the properties of single layers with those of liquid films and further of liquid disperse systems are in the centre of interest.

Techniques used are

• Confocal microscopy to study processes in diluted emulsions
• Foam Analyser to determine foams properties
• Liquid film balances

Systems under study are

• soluble surfactant systems
• protein layers
• mixed surfactant - protein layers
• nano-particle layers

Main targets of research on this topic are

• foam stability experiments for surfactants and mixtures
• develop a method for dilational rheology of free liquid films
• development of models to correlate emulsion and emulsion film properties with characteristic parameters of adsorption layers
• development of models to correlate film and foam properties with characteristic parameters of adsorption layers
• elaborate new models for emulsion stability

This work is performed in close collaboration with the groups of Cosima Stubenrauch from Stuttgart, Dotchi Exerowa and Khristo Kristov from Sofia, Regine von Klitzing from Berlin, Stanislaw Dukhin from New York, Natasha Mishchuk from Kiev, Annie Steinchen and Mickael Antoni from Marseille.