The effect of high volume fractions of latex particles on foaming and antifoam action in surfactant solutions

The effect of latex particles on foam and antifoam behaviour is complex. It can give rise to three effects - depletion of surfactant concentration by adsorption loss, increase in viscosity and stratification stabilisation of thin liquid films by the particles. We show that the first effect appears to dominate in the case of the selected systems. Additional effects due to stabilisation of foam and oil-water-air pseudoemulsion films by latex particles are also found. Antifoam behaviour appears to correlate with pseudoemulsion film stability. Any stabilisation of such films by latex particles is shown to be readily eliminated by the presence of hydrophobed silica particles.