Mechanistic understanding of the modes of action of foam control agents

Nikolai D Denkov; Krastanka G Marinova; Slavka S Tcholakova

doi:10.1016/j.cis.2013.08.004

Mechanistic understanding of the modes of action of foam control agents

Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2014 Apr:206:57-67. doi: 10.1016/j.cis.2013.08.004. Epub 2013 Aug 30.

Authors

Nikolai D Denkov¹, Krastanka G Marinova², Slavka S Tcholakova²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry & Pharmacy, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria. Electronic address: nd@dce.uni-sofia.bg.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry & Pharmacy, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria.

PMID: 24041857
DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2013.08.004

Abstract

In this paper we present briefly our current understanding of the modes of action of foam control agents (often termed "defoamers" or "antifoams"). After summarizing the background knowledge, reviewed in previous articles, the focus of the presentation is shifted to the antifoam studies from the last decade. The new experimental results, obtained by various research groups, are reviewed briefly to reveal the main mechanisms of antifoam action and the related key factors, governing the efficiency of the foam control agents. The role of the entry, spreading and bridging coefficients, of the entry barrier of the antifoam entities, and of the dynamics of surfactant adsorption is specifically discussed.

Keywords: Antifoam; Defoamer; Entry barrier; Foam control; Foam film.