Flocculation-induced colloidal architecture regulates nanobubble persistence through interfacial organization

IF 6.6 2区材料科学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Applied Surface Science Pub Date : 2026-09-23 DOI:10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.168495

Liming Liu, Liang Cao, Yongjun Peng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Nanobubble (NB) persistence in colloidal suspensions is influenced by complex interactions among particles, polymers, and gas–liquid interfaces. While the effects of individual particles and dissolved polymers on NB behavior have been widely investigated, the role of polymer-induced flocculated colloidal structures remains poorly understood. In this study, anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) was used to generate controlled flocculation regimes in silica nanoparticle suspensions, and the resulting effects on NB formation and persistence were systematically examined. The results showed that NB behavior was strongly dependent on flocculation state. Optimum flocculation conditions promoted interconnected nanoparticle–polymer assemblies associated with enhanced NB persistence, whereas both underdosed and overdosed systems exhibited reduced persistence. Nanoparticle tracking analysis revealed that NB generation and persistence over the investigated 24 h period are related but distinct processes, each influenced by the colloidal aggregation state of the system. Surface tension, zeta potential, and viscosity measurements demonstrated that conventional interfacial and bulk physicochemical parameters alone cannot fully explain the observed behavior. Atomic force microscopy provided complementary nanoscale evidence of enhanced interfacial mechanical response associated with optimum flocculation in a surface NB model system. These findings suggest that NB persistence is influenced not only by particle surface properties and polymer chemistry but also by the mesoscale architecture of flocculated colloidal assemblies. By identifying flocculation-induced colloidal organization as an important factor regulating NB persistence, this work provides a structural and interfacial framework for understanding nanoscale gas domains in complex particle–polymer systems relevant to mineral flotation, water treatment, and related multiphase processes.

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絮凝诱导的胶体结构通过界面组织调节纳米气泡的持久性

纳米泡（NB）在胶体悬浮液中的持久性受到粒子、聚合物和气液界面之间复杂相互作用的影响。虽然单个颗粒和溶解聚合物对NB行为的影响已经被广泛研究，但聚合物诱导的絮凝胶体结构的作用仍然知之甚少。在这项研究中，阴离子聚丙烯酰胺（APAM）在二氧化硅纳米颗粒悬浮液中产生了可控的絮凝机制，并系统地研究了其对铌形成和持久性的影响。结果表明，絮凝状态对NB的行为有很强的依赖性。最佳絮凝条件促进了纳米颗粒-聚合物相互连接，增强了铌的持久性，而剂量不足和过量的体系都表现出持久性降低。纳米颗粒跟踪分析显示，在所研究的24小时内，NB的产生和持续是相关但不同的过程，每个过程都受到系统胶体聚集状态的影响。表面张力、zeta电位和粘度测量表明，常规的界面和整体物理化学参数不能完全解释所观察到的行为。原子力显微镜提供了补充的纳米尺度证据，表明在表面NB模型系统中，增强的界面力学响应与最佳絮凝有关。这些发现表明，铌的持久性不仅受到颗粒表面性质和聚合物化学的影响，还受到絮凝胶体组合的中尺度结构的影响。通过确定絮凝诱导的胶体组织是调控铌持久性的重要因素，本工作为理解与矿物浮选、水处理和相关多相过程相关的复杂颗粒-聚合物体系中的纳米级气畴提供了结构和界面框架。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Applied Surface Science 工程技术-材料科学：膜

CiteScore

12.50

自引率

7.50%

发文量

3393

审稿时长

67 days

期刊介绍： Applied Surface Science covers topics contributing to a better understanding of surfaces, interfaces, nanostructures and their applications. The journal is concerned with scientific research on the atomic and molecular level of material properties determined with specific surface analytical techniques and/or computational methods, as well as the processing of such structures.