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The principle of defoaming using a defoamer
Release Date:
2022-02-28
Foam is ubiquitous in our daily lives; it can severely constrain production capacity and lead to significant waste of raw materials. As a result, many companies opt to use defoaming agents to eliminate foam.
Foam is ubiquitous in our daily lives; it can severely constrain production capacity and lead to significant waste of raw materials. As a result, many companies opt to use defoaming agents to eliminate foam.
1. The reduction in local surface tension of the foam leads to its rupture.
The underlying mechanism involves sprinkling higher alcohols or vegetable oils onto the foam; as these substances dissolve into the foam liquid, they markedly reduce the surface tension at that location. Since these compounds typically exhibit low water solubility, the reduction in surface tension is confined to localized regions of the foam, while the surface tension in the surrounding areas remains virtually unchanged. The area where the surface tension has been lowered exerts a strong tensile force outward, causing the foam to stretch and eventually rupture.
2. Defoamers can disrupt membrane elasticity, leading to bubble rupture.
When a defoamer is added to a foaming system, it spreads to the gas–liquid interface, thereby hindering the ability of stabilizing surfactants to restore the membrane’s elasticity.
3. Defoamers promote drainage of the liquid film, thereby causing bubbles to rupture.
The rate of foam drainage can indicate foam stability, and the addition of a substance that accelerates foam drainage can also serve as an antifoaming agent.
4. Adding hydrophobic solid particles can cause bubbles to rupture. Foams are ubiquitous in our daily lives, yet they significantly constrain production capacity and lead to substantial waste of raw materials. Many companies therefore opt to use defoamers to eliminate foam.
1. The reduction in local surface tension of the foam leads to its rupture.
The underlying mechanism involves sprinkling higher alcohols or vegetable oils onto the foam; as these substances dissolve into the foam liquid, they markedly reduce the surface tension at that location. Since these compounds typically exhibit low water solubility, the reduction in surface tension is confined to localized regions of the foam, while the surface tension in the surrounding areas remains virtually unchanged. The area where the surface tension has been lowered exerts a strong tensile force outward, causing the foam to stretch and eventually rupture.
2. Defoamers can disrupt membrane elasticity, leading to bubble rupture.
When a defoamer is added to a foaming system, it spreads to the gas–liquid interface, thereby hindering the ability of stabilizing surfactants to restore the membrane’s elasticity.
3. Defoamers promote drainage of the liquid film, thereby causing bubbles to rupture.
The rate of foam drainage can indicate foam stability, and the addition of a substance that accelerates foam drainage can also serve as an antifoaming agent.
4. The addition of hydrophobic solid particles can cause bubble collapse.
On the surface of bubbles, hydrophobic solid particles attract the hydrophobic tails of surfactants, rendering the hydrophobic particles hydrophilic and enabling them to enter the aqueous phase, thereby exerting a defoaming effect.
5. Solubilizing and foam‑stabilizing surfactants can cause bubbles to rupture.
Certain low-molecular-weight substances that can mix thoroughly with the solution can solubilize the surfactants at the bubble surface, thereby reducing their effective concentration. Such low-molecular-weight compounds—alcohols like octanol, ethanol, and propanol—not only decrease the surfactant concentration in the surface layer but also penetrate the surfactant adsorption layer, loosening the close packing of surfactant molecules and thus diminishing foam stability.
6. Electrolytes disrupt the surfactant double layer, leading to bubble collapse.
For foaming solutions in which the electrostatic double-layer interactions of surfactants stabilize the foam, the addition of common electrolytes can disrupt these double layers and thereby exert a defoaming effect.
On the surface of bubbles, hydrophobic solid particles attract the hydrophobic tails of surfactants, rendering the hydrophobic particles hydrophilic and enabling them to enter the aqueous phase, thereby exerting a defoaming effect.
5. Solubilizing and foam‑stabilizing surfactants can cause bubbles to rupture.
Certain low-molecular-weight substances that can mix thoroughly with the solution can solubilize the surfactants at the bubble surface, thereby reducing their effective concentration. Such low-molecular-weight compounds—alcohols like octanol, ethanol, and propanol—not only decrease the surfactant concentration in the surface layer but also penetrate the surfactant adsorption layer, loosening the close packing of surfactant molecules and thus diminishing foam stability.
6. Electrolytes disrupt the surfactant double layer, leading to bubble collapse.
For foaming solutions in which the electrostatic double-layer interactions of surfactants stabilize the foam, the addition of common electrolytes can disrupt these double layers and thereby exert a defoaming effect.
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