Understanding the surface properties and rheology of a silica suspension mediated by a comb-type poly(acrylic acid)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PAA/PEO) copolymer: effect of salinity.

Understanding the surface properties and rheology of colloidal suspensions in the presence of polymer additives with high salinity are of great importance in formulating construction materials and optimizing process conditions in the mining and petroleum industry. In this work, the surface properties and rheology of a model spherical silica aqueous suspension mediated by a comb-type poly(acrylic acid)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PAA/PEO) copolymer at various salt concentrations have been investigated. Adsorption measurements using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) align well with zeta potential tests and show that polymer adsorption on silica surfaces is enhanced at high salinity (i.

Probing anisotropic surface properties and interaction forces of chrysotile rods by atomic force microscopy and rheology.

Understanding the surface properties and interactions of nonspherical particles is of both fundamental and practical importance in the rheology of complex fluids in various engineering applications. In this work, natural chrysotile, a phyllosilicate composed of 1:1 stacked silica and brucite layers which coil into cylindrical structure, was chosen as a model rod-shaped particle. The interactions of chrysotile brucite-like basal or bilayered edge planes and a silicon nitride tip were measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM).