Direct AFM force measurements between air bubbles in aqueous polydisperse sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) solutions: Effect of collision speed, polyelectrolyte concentration and molar mass

Abstract

Interactions between colliding air bubbles in aqueous solutions of polydisperse sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (NaPSS) using direct force measurements were studied. The forces measured with deformable interfaces were shown to be more sensitive to the presence of the polyelectrolytes when compared to similar measurements using rigid interfaces. The experimental factors that were examined were NaPSS concentration, bubble collision velocity and polyelectrolyte molar mass. These measurements were then compared with an analytical model based on polyelectrolyte scaling theory in order to explain the effects of concentration and bubble deformation on the interaction between bubbles. Typically struc..