Coalescence of particle-laden drops with a planar oil-water interface

The coalescence mechanism of a particle-laden drop resting at an oil-water interface has been studied. Two mechanisms for drop coalescence are observed; (i) complete coalescence, in which the drop experiences total coalescence in one event, and (ii) partial coalescence, where a drop is observed to separate during coalescence, producing a smaller secondary drop that rebounds and comes to rest at the planar oil-water interface. For particle-laden drops of approximately 4 mm in diameter, we show the critical condition for partial to complete coalescence to be dependent on the particle concentration, and the interparticle interaction energy. Colloidal silica spheres dispersed in 10(-4) M KNO3 electrolyte solution are highly charged and remain dispersed in the drop. By increasing the solids concentration, we measure the transition from partial to complete coalescence at 20 wt.%. However, this critical condition can be reduced by increasing the interparticle interaction energy. In 1 M KNO3 electrolyte solution, the particle surface charge is sufficiently screened such that particle clusters readily form in the water drop. With particle clustering, transition from partial to complete coalescence is measured at 8 wt.% solids. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.