稳定性分为两类:胶体稳定性和重力稳定性。
1. 胶体稳定性 与粒径变化(例如,聚集或团聚)有关。如果颗粒不受粒度变化的影响,则分散体被认为是胶体稳定的。因此,胶体稳定性取决于几种类型的相互作用,例如:
沉降有时被混淆地认为是胶体不稳定性。
例如,溶剂中的颗粒分散可以是胶体稳定的(颗粒大小没有变化),而它在重力上是不稳定的(由于与溶剂的密度不匹配,颗粒会沉降)。
值得注意的是,不稳定的胶体分散会导致引力不稳定(较大的颗粒开始迅速沉降)。
Electrophoretic light scattering (ELS) is a common technique used to evaluate the potential of dispersion to remain stable. ELS allows measuring the zeta potential of a dispersion, which provides information about electrostatic interactions and, by extrapolation, their tendency to agglomerate. The zeta-potential is a reliable indicator of dispersion stability, but several parameters such as steric effects, sedimentation, or hydrophobic effects, will also have a strong influence. Consequently, relying on zeta-potential values can only lead to false stability interpretations, for example, with metal nanoparticles in complex media, aqueous silica sol, and oil in water emulsions.
The SMLS technique offers solid advantages for the characterization of destabilizing phenomena. Both gravitational and colloidal stability of dispersions can be assessed with minimal sample handling. More importantly, results are obtained by analyzing formulations in their native states, thus ensuring the representativity of the results.
At Microtrac, we propose a range of SMLS-based devices, Turbiscan , that provide quantitative stability analysis up to 1,000 times faster than conventional tests. If you would like any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us .