The effect of particle concentration on zeta potential in extremely dilute solutions

Abstract

The electroporetic mobility of hexadecane particles in water and in very dilute CTAB solutions was measured. The technique of microelectrophoresis was applied. Zeta potential was calculated according to the Hückel formula, applying Henry's correction factors. Electrokinetic charge density was calculated according to the formula used by Delgado et al., and previously discovered empiricaly by Loeb et al. and derived mathematicaly by Ohshima et al. It was found that the particle concentration in emulsion limits their charge in solutions of very low ion concentration (10⁻⁷:10⁻⁶ M), because the greater the particle concentration, the smaller the extent of the ions adsorbed at the surface of one particle. The zeta potential was found to be independent of particle concentration if the ratio of the number of bulk ions to particle number is not lower than 1.6×10⁶. This ratio depends on particle size, and the value 1.6×10⁶ relates to particles of diameter 1.6 μm.