EMULSIONS STABILITY

Prof. Abd Karim Alias
Universiti Sains Malaysia

Mechanisms of Emulsion Instability

Emulsion stability – ability to resist changes in its physicochemical properties with time.

Mechanisms of emulsion breakdown:

Creaming – the process in which droplets move upwards (droplets density < density of continuous phase)

Sedimentation – the process in which droplets move downwards (droplets density > density of continuous phase)

Mechanisms of emulsion breakdown (..cont’):

Flocculation– the process in which two or more droplets “stick” together to form an aggregate (but the droplets still retain their individual integrity)

Coalescence – the process in which two or more droplets merge together to form a single larger droplet.

Phase inversion – the process in which o/w emulsion changes to w/o emulsion, or vice versa.

…