Process Development of a Liquid-Liquid Phase Transfer of Colloidal Particles for Production of High-Quality Organosols

Abstract

The emphasis of the study presented is on a new process of particle extraction to transfer magnetite nanoparticles from an aqueous into an immiscible organic phase directly through the liquid-liquid interface. For the production of high-quality organosols, stabilized colloidal and functionalized particles are required in a liquid organic phase. The mechanism of phase transfer is initiated by adsorption and chemical binding of surfactants (fatty acids) at the particle surface. The resulting physico-chemical dispersion of the hydrophobically modified particles leads to the formation of the stabilized organic colloid, or organosol. The aim here is to demonstrate the entire chain of the transfer process in a continuous miniplant, which comprises particle synthesis, conditioning, and transfer, and which uses a drop column for extraction and as a transfer device. Based on the investigation of the governing principles and the material parameters, the results obtained for the transfer kinetics in the individual contact devices (centrifuge, single-drop column, and drop column for different operations) are used for the dimensioning of the entire process chain.