Role of Pickering stabilization and bulk gelation for the preparation and properties of solid silica foams

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science Vol. 504; pp. 48 - 57
• Main Authors: Lesov, I., Tcholakova, S., Kovadjieva, M., Saison, T., Lamblet, M., Denkov, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 15.10.2017
• Subjects: Foams; Mechanical strength; Ostwald ripening; Pickering stabilization; Pore size; Porous ceramics; Porous materials; Thermal conductivity; Foams; Pore size; Ostwald ripening; Mechanical strength; Porous materials; Thermal conductivity; Pickering stabilization; Porous ceramics
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.05.036

[Display omitted] Foaming of particulate suspensions, followed by foam drying, is developed as an efficient method for production of highly porous materials with various applications. A key factor for success is the appropriate choice of surfactants which both modify the particle surface and stabilize the foam. Here we compare the efficiency of this method for silica suspensions containing two surfactants which lead to very different types of foam stabilization. Cationic TTAB leads to particle-stabilized foams (Pickering stabilization) whereas zwitterionic CAPB – to surfactant-stabilized foams. Thus we determined the general (common) features shared between the various surfactant systems: (1) The foaminess is controlled exclusively by the suspension viscosity under shearing conditions which mimic precisely the foaming process; (2) The foam stability to drainage and coarsening is controlled exclusively by the suspension yield stress; (3) The surfactant adsorption on the particle surface should occur in the time scale of seconds to minutes, thus ensuring appropriate rheological properties of the foaming suspension. Similar kinetic effects could be of high interest to other colloid systems and processes, e.g. for kinetic control of the internal structure and properties of aerogels produced from sheared suspensions, and for control of the transient rheological properties and non-Newtonian flow of particulate gels.