New Interfacial Rheology Characteristics Measured using a Spinning‐Drop Rheometer at the Optimum Formulation of a Simple Surfactant–Oil–Water System

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Abstract
A new spinning‐drop tensiometer with an oscillating rotation velocity was used to measure the interfacial rheological properties of systems with very low interfacial tensions in the zone close to the so‐called optimum formulation of surfactant–oil–water systems. 2 simple formulation scans were selected: One with an extended anionic surfactant using a salinity variation in the water phase, and another with a mixture of 2 nonionic surfactants in a scan produced by changing their proportion. With both systems it was corroborated that at optimum formulation (i.e., at hydrophilic–lipophilic deviation (HLD) = 0), both the interfacial tension and the emulsion stability exhibit a deep minimum. A clear relationship was also found between the phase behavior and the interfacial rheological properties (dilational elasticity and viscosity). For the very first time and in both kinds of scans (salinity or average ethylene oxide number), it was found that the interfacial elastic modulus E and the interfacial viscosity, as well as the phase angle also exhibit a minimum at optimum formulation. These groundbreaking findings could be applied to emulsion instability at optimum formulation and to its applications in emulsion breaking.
Funding Information
  • France TOTAL Petroleum

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