Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan · 1982 · 114 citations · 22 references
Natural SciencesChemistryMaterials ScienceInterface ScienceMultiphase FlowPhysical ChemistryInterfacial PhenomenaInterfacial TensionInterfacial ThermodynamicsPhase DiagramsPhase EquilibriaSurfactantsCritical Phenomena In MixturesCritical Solution TemperatureMinimum Interfacial TensionNonionic SurfactantsOil-water Interfacial TensionPhase Behavior Of Surfactant SystemsSurfactant Phase BehaviorSurfactant Systems
Abstract A three-phase region consisting of surfactant (D), water (W), and oil (O) phases appeared due to the superposition of two critical phenomena of D–W and O–D in a nonionic surfactant/water/oil system. Three interfacial tensions, γO–W, γO–D and γD–W, among the three phases were determined at various temperatures. The generalized Antonoff’s rule (γO–W=γO–D+γD–W) holds approximately in the three-phase region. γO–D and γD–W disappear at the respective critical solution temperatures, and ultralow interfacial tensions are attained in the vicinity of both critical temperatures. The oil–water interfacial tension, γO–W, reaches its minimum in the midst of the temperature range of the three-phase region, and the narrower the temperature range of the three-phase region, the lower the interfacial tension. The correlation between the interfacial tensions and the types of emulsions is also discussed.
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