Nanoparticle-Laden Interfacial Layers and Application to Foams and Solid Foams

The utilisation of particle stabilized liquid foams for producing low density microporous materials at high specific area is of increasing interest in a variety of different application fields, including thermal and sound insulation, molten metal filtration, hot gas cleanup, catalyst supports, CO2 adsorption, components of rechargeable lithium batteries and electrolytic capacitors. The here presented experimental study focuses on the tailoring and production of solid foams with controlled features obtained by liquid foams stabilized by solid nanosized materials. This work is inserted in a wider study on the relation between the interfacial properties of mixed layers incorporating nanoparticles (NP) at different degree of hydrophobicity and surfactants and the stability/structure of the corresponding liquid and solid foams after drying or appropriate sintering procedures. The general aim of this study is in fact a better understanding of the relation between the phisicochemical properties of the single interface and the properties of the obtained foams as well as the definition of "key" features of the NP-surfactant systems providing specific structural, morphological and functional characteristics. Results are here presented concerning solid foams obtained by ceramic and carbonaceous NP, together with the characterisation of the single particle laden interfacial layers by means of dynamic interfacial tension and interfacial rheology measurements. References A. R. Studart et al., J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 89 (2006) 1771-1789. U. T. Gonzenbach et al., J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 90 (2007) 3407-3414. S. Arditty, et al.J. Colloid Interface Sci., 275 (204) 659-664. E. Santini et al, Coll. Surf. A 365 (2010) 189.