The role of the surface in the dispersion of powders in liquids
The overall process of dispersing a powder into a liquid involves a number of stages incorporation, wetting, disagglomeration, flocculation which in practice overlap. Implicit to an understanding of these stages is a study of the solid/liquid interface, and of the variety of interactions that take place at that interface. This paper reviews these interactions, their measurement, and their relevance to the dispersion process.