Understanding about How Different Foaming Gases Effect the Interfacial Array Behaviors of Surfactants and the Foam Properties

• Published in: Langmuir 2016-08, Vol.32 (30), p.7503-7511
• Main Authors: Sun, Yange, Qi, Xiaoqing, Sun, Haoyang, Zhao, Hui, Li, Ying
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Interfaces: Adsorption, Reactions, Films, Forces, Measurement Techniques, Charge Transfer, Electrochemistry, Electrocatalysis, Energy Production and Storage
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b02269

In this paper, the detailed behaviors of all the molecules, especially the interfacial array behaviors of surfactants and diffusion behaviors of gas molecules, in foam systems with different gases (N2, O2, and CO2) being used as foaming agents were investigated by combining molecular dynamics simulation and experimental approaches for the purpose of interpreting how the molecular behaviors effect the properties of the foam and find out the key factors which fundamentally determine the foam stability. Sodium dodecyl sulfate SDS was used as the foam stabilizer. The foam decay and the drainage process were determined by Foamscan. A texture analyzer (TA) was utilized to measure the stiffness and viscoelasticity of the foam films. The experimental results agreed very well with the simulation results by which how the different gas components affect the interfacial behaviors of surfactant molecules and thereby bring influence on foam properties was described.