Depletion forces between silica surfaces in solutions of poly(acrylic acid)

Abstract

The forces between silica surfaces in the presence of poly(acrylic acid) solutions have been measured as a function of polymer concentration using an atomic force microscope. Under similar solution conditions to the force–distance studies, the stability of a colloidal silica dispersion to depletion flocculation was studied. The measured force–distance curves were used to interpret the observed flocculation behaviour of the dispersion.