Colloid Science Flashcards
What is a colloid?
(i) A Colloid is a dispersed phase within a continuous phase where the dimensions of the dispersed phase lie between 1 nm and 1000 nm
(ii) Colloids are systems with relatively high surface-to-volume (or surface-to-weight) ratios (due to small size of the dispersed phase)
(iii) Colloids are barely affected by gravitational forces
(only applicable to certain colloids, e.g. S/L, L/L, G/L) (but on sufficient time scales, gravitational forces cannot be neglected).
What combination of dispersed/continuous phase is allowed?
> All S/L/G combinations allowed except from G/G (due to rapid inter-diffusion)
What are the names of some colloids and what are some examples?
> Aerosol (L/S dispersed phase and G continuous phase), fogs, mists, aerosol sprays, smokes, smogs
> Foam (G dispersed phase and L continuous phase), shampoo, washing up liquid
> Emulsion (L dispersed phase L continuous phase), milk, mayonnaise
> Dispersion (S dispersed phase and L continuous phase), inks, latex paints, soil, mud, clays sols, ceramics
> Solid Foam (G dispersed phase and S continuous phase), expanded polystyrene foam
> Solid Dispersion (S/L dispersed phase and S continuous phase), alloys, pigmented plastics, opals, pearls, butter, cream, ice cream.
How do you calculate specific surface area (As)(area per gram) of a colloid?
> Sphere:
As= Area/Mass = A/pV = 4πR2/p.4/3πR3
As=3/p.R where p=density (typically 2.0g cm-3= 2x 106 g m-3) and R=radius of colloidal particle
What are the 2 main types of S/L colloids?
> Lyophillic and Lyophobic.
> Lyophillic colloids have strong interactions with the continuous phase (solvent) e.g. synthetic polymer chains usually form random coils in good solvents. The radius of gyration, Rg typically lies between 1 and 100nm.
> Lyophillic colloids are thermodynamically stable (indefinitely).
> Lyophobic colloids have no interaction with continuous phase (apart from the first monolayer). Ever-present short-range attractive (van der Waals) forces between these particles eventually leads to particle aggregation/coagulation/precipitation unless repulsive forces are also operating (over sufficiently long range).
> Lyophobic colloids can be either kinetically or thermodynamically stable.
What is a sol?
A dispersion of inorganic particles e.g. silica, gold, sulphur.
What is a latex?
A dispersion of (organic) polymer particles e.g. polystyrene, natural rubber, poly (methyl methacrylate), polypyrrole.
What is flocculation?
Aggregation of colloidal particles without loss of the original particle
morphology (can be reversible).
What is coagulation?
Aggregation of colloidal particles with irreversible loss of the original
particle morphology.
What is agglomeration?
Aggregation of colloidal particles due to ‘sticky’ collisions.
What is a gel?
A three-dimensional macroscopic network of aggregated particles or chains in a liquid.
What is coalescence?
Aggregation of liquid droplets (or gas bubbles) to form larger droplets
(or bubbles).
What is a surfactant?
A surface-active agent e.g. sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or C12H25SO4Na
What is an amphiphile?
A molecule that contains both polar and non-polar components
e.g. either a surfactant or an AB diblock copolymer.
What is a micelle?
Weakly aggregated structure of surfactant molecules in aqueous solution (a.k.a. ‘association colloid’).
What is an emulsion?
A L/L colloid e.g. oil-in-water (o/w) or water-in-oil (w/o). The droplet size range is typically 100 nm to 100 μm. Only kinetically stable.
Why are spherical morphologies most common?
> Maximum surface area → minimum surface energy
> Spheres are also the easiest morphologies to handle mathematically
How is Dn (number average particle diameter) of a colloid obtained?
> Dn is obtained from electron microscopy (SEM, TEM)
How is Dw (weight average particle diameter) of a colloid obtained?
> Dw is obtained from disc centrifuge (DCP)
How is Dz (z average particle diameter) of a colloid obtained?
> Dz is obtained from dynamic light scattering (DLS)
How is the polydispersity index (PI) calculated?
PI= Dw/Dn
What values of PI correspond to perfectly-mono-/near-mono-/poly disperse?
> Perfectly-mono-disperse PI=1.000
> Near mono-disperse PI=1.01-1.10
> Poly disperse PI»1.10
Describe how colloids are made by a degradation process.
> Grind up coarse powder (in the presence of surfactant) to get smaller particles.
> Usually get D ~ 1 – 10 mm and a skewed (Poisson) particle size distribution.
> Difficult to get D < 1 mm (colloidal) and, in the
absence of a surfactant, simply get particle
re-aggregation at end of grinding.
Describe how colloids are made by an aggregation process.
> Build up from small molecules (makes it possible to access the entire colloid size range).
> Controlled precipitation is often used for inorganic sols (lyophobic colloids) e.g. silica.
> Controlled polymerisation is often used for polymer particles (both lyophobic and lyophilic) e.g. PS, PMMA latexes via free-radical emulsion or dispersion polymerisation e.g. PS, PEO, PMMA solutions via anionic or free radical solution polymerisation.