Stratification of a Foam Film Formed from a Nonionic Micellar Solution: Experiments and Modeling

Thin liquid films containing surfactant micelles or other nanocolloidal particles are considered to be the key structural elements of foams containing gas and liquid. We report here the experimental results and theoretical modeling for the phenomenon of the stratification (stepwise thinning) of a foam film formed from a nonionic micellar solution. The film stratification phenomenon was experimentally observed by reflected light microinterferometry. We observed that the stepwise layer-by-layer decrease of the film thickness is due to the appearance and growth of a dark spot of one layer less than the film thickness in the film. The dark spot expansion is driven by the diffusion of the dislocation (or vacancy) in the micellar lattice. The vacancies from the meniscus diffuse and condense into the dark spot, leading to its expansion inside the film. We experimentally observed the expansion of the dark spot at various film thicknesses (i.e., the number of micellar layers) and at different film sizes. We also measured the contact angle between the film and the meniscus; we used the data to estimate the structural film interaction energy barrier and the apparent diffusion coefficient. We used the two-dimensional diffusion model to model the dynamics of the dark spot expansion with consideration to the apparent diffusion coefficient and the film size. The model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental observations. On the basis of this model, we carried out a parametric study depicting the effects of the film thickness (or the number of micellar layers) and film area on the rate of the dark spot expansion. We also generalized the model previously proposed by Kralchevsky et al. [ Langmuir 1990 , 6 , 1180 - 1189 ], incorporating the effects of the film size, film thickness, and apparent diffusion coefficient to predict the dark spot expansion rate.

Stability of Liquid Films Containing Monodisperse Colloidal Particles

Thin liquid films containing colloidal particles are considered to be the key structural elements of three-phase foams containing liquid, gas, and colloidal particles. This study is aimed at understanding the stability of such films in the absence of any surfactants. The particles form a layered structure in the film and produce a stepwise thinning in the thin liquid films. We report here for the first time the effects of particle concentration and size on film thickness transition of curved liquid films containing monodispersed colloidal particles. The rate of stepwise film thinning was observed to be high when particle concentration was low and both particle size and film size were large. The phenomenon of stepwise film thinning (i.e., stratification) is rationalized on the basis of diffusion of colloidal particles from the film to the meniscus, i.e., the diffusive osmotic mechanism. There exists a critical film size below which at least one layer of particles always stays in the film (i.e., black spot expansion does not occur). This critical size is dependent upon both particle size and concentration. Also, Monte Carlo simulations of the film show that, at a high particle concentration, better particle in-layer structure develops that increases the energy barrier, inhibiting particle diffusion from the film to the bulk meniscus. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.