Forces between two oil drops in aqueous solution measured by AFM

The surface and hydrodynamic forces between individual oil droplets in solution can provide insight into both emulsion stability and processes such as drop coalescence in liquid-liquid extraction. We present the first measurements of the interaction forces between alkane droplets in aqueous solution using atomic force microscopy. The radii of the droplets were well below the capillary lengths for the system, thus gravity effects are negligible, and interfacial tension and interaction forces governed the system behavior. The effects of modulating electrostatic double-layer interactions and interfacial tension through the presence of an anionic surfactant are demonstrated. Challenges in interpretation of the force data due to drop deformation are also discussed. A range of drop approach and retract speeds was used to determine the regime where hydrodynamic drainage effects had significant impact on the measurement. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.