Generation of self-preserving particle size distributions during shear coagulation

Abstract

Colloidal dispersions have been reported to develop self-preserving particle size distributions during both Brownian and shear coagulation. During this investigation the evolution of the particle size distribution during the shear coagulation of polystyrene latices, which exhibited excellent Brownian stability, was examined. The resulting distributions were found to be self-preserving in all cases including those systems where the coagulation apparently occurred through the formation of hydrophobic associations. Recent claims that the shear coagulation of dispersions with good Brownian stability does not yield self-preserving distributions are apparently in error due to a misinterpretation of the characteristics of a self-preserving distribution.