Dlvo Thery
Dlvo Thery
Colloidal particles collide with each other due to the Brownian motion, convection, gravity and
other forces.
Collisions may result in coagulation of the particles and destabilization of the colloid.
If a colloidal particle is brought to a short distance to another particle, they are attracted to each
other by the van der Waals force. If there is no counteracting force, the particles will aggregate
and the colloidal system will be destabilized.
Colloidal stability is achieved due to repulsion forces balancing the attraction forces in the way
similar to the stable mechanic equilibrium {if a body is disturbed it tends to return to its former
position).
According to the kind of the repulsion force two mechanisms of the colloidal stability take place:
Electrostatic stabilization of colloids
Polymeric stabilization of colloids
Electrostatic stabilization of colloids
Electrostatic stabilization of Colloids is the mechanism in which the attraction van der Waals
forces are counterbalanced by the repulsive Coulomb forces acting between the negatively
charged colloidal particles.
Electric Double Layer
Electric Double Layer is the phenomenon playing a fundamental role in the mechanism of the
electrostatic stabilization of colloids.
Colloidal particles gain negative electric charge when negatively charged ions of the dispersion
medium are adsorbed on the particles surface.
A negatively charged particle attracts the positive counterions surrounding the particle.
Electric Double Layer is the layer surrounding a particle of the dispersed phase and including
the ions adsorbed on the particle surface and a film of the countercharged dispersion medium.
The Electric Double Layer is electrically neutral.
When a colloidal particle moves in the dispersion medium, a layer of the surrounding liquid
remains attached to the particle. The boundary of this layer is called slipping plane (shear
plane).
The value of the electric potential at the slipping plane is called Zeta potential, which is very
important parameter in the theory of interaction of colloidal particles.
DLVO theory
In 1940s Deryagin, Landau, Vewey and Overbeek developed a theory of the stability of colloidal
systems (DLVO theory).
The theory states that the colloidal stability is determined by the potential energy of the particles
(VT) summarizing two parts: potential energy of the attractive interaction due to van der Waals
force VA and potential energy of the repulsive electrostatic interaction VR:
VT = VA + VR
where:
A - Hamaker constant;
r - radius of the particles;
x - distance between the surfaces.
where:
ε - dielectric constant of the solvent;
ε0 - vacuum permittivity;
ζ - zeta potential;
k - a function of the ionic concentration (k-1 is the characteristic length of the Electric Double
Layer).
The graphs describing the potential energy of the interaction between two particles are presented
in the figure above.
The minimum of the potential energy determines the distance between two particles
corresponding to their stable equilibrium. The two particles form a loose aggregate, which can be
easily re-dispersed. The strong aggregate may be formed at a shorter distance corresponding to
the primary minimum of the potential energy (not shown in the picture). In order to approach to
the distance of the primary minimum the particle should overcome the potential barrier.
Polymeric stabilization of colloids