The role of interdroplet interaction in the physics of highly concentrated emulsions

Abstract

The osmotic pressure and shear modulus of highly concentrated emulsions were modelled by considering both interfacial energy and interdroplet interaction. This was performed for two- and three-dimensional cases and by optimization and approximation methods of predicting film thickness. The results show that even a small source of interaction can result in non-superimposition of scaled osmotic pressure and shear modulus by Laplace pressure for different droplet sizes, and also significant deviation from the models which consider interfacial interaction as the sole source of energy. The model was used to explain the reciprocal squared diameter dependency of elastic modulus: an interaction similar to the van der Waals type can be responsible for this observation. The model can also be used to analyze the interdroplet interactions in highly concentrated emulsions.