STUDY OF FOAMABILITY OF SOLUTIONS USING TENSIOLAMINOMETRIC TECHNIQUE

The work involved in the formation (extension and contraction) of a liquid lamella inside a rectangular wettable frame has been used to study the foaming, properties of aqueous solutions. Force versus displacement curves are recorded. From these curves the dynamic and the static surface tension can be calculated and the rate of adsorption of the surface-active agent can be estimated. Foam stability appears to be related to 1) the difference of work involved in expanding and in contracting the liquid lamella, 2) the rate and the irreversibility of adsorption of the surface-active material, 3) the rate of spreading of the adsorbed molecules, 4) the rate of evaporation of the solvent and 5) the rate of drainage. The instrument can also be used to study the oil-water interface and to serve as a screening device for foaming agents and emulsifiers. Substituting solid blades for the frame offers a possibility to study wetting and dewetting phenoma (4). © 1968 Oil Chemists' Society.