Quantification of polystyrene microsphere attachment probability at the oil‒water interface using a microfluidic platform

In Hwan Jung; Kyu Hwan Choi; Tae Seok Seo; Hyosung An; Bum Jun Park

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16588

Quantification of polystyrene microsphere attachment probability at the oil‒water interface using a microfluidic platform

Heliyon. 2023 May 26;9(6):e16588. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16588. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

In Hwan Jung¹, Kyu Hwan Choi¹, Tae Seok Seo¹, Hyosung An², Bum Jun Park¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering (BK21 FOUR Integrated Engineering Program), Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, 17104, South Korea.
² Department of Petrochemical Materials Engineering, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, 59631, South Korea.

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of interparticle interactions and wettability on the particle attachment efficacy to the oil‒water interface. Three types of PS particles with different surface functional groups were examined at varying salt concentrations and the number of particles injected into the interface. Based on the microfluidic method and the surface coverage measurement, we found that the two contributing factors significantly influenced particle attachment efficiency to the interface, while the wettability factor has a major contribution. This research contributes to the understanding of physicochemical aspects of particle assembly at fluid interfaces and can offer strategies for forming tailored structures with desired interfacial properties.

Keywords: Colloid; Interface; Interface-adsorption efficacy; Interparticle interactions; Wettability.