Master theses / Diploma theses

Interfaces between air-liquid, liquid-liquid and liquid-solid are very important and they affect many industrial processes including flotation. Here, we want to hydrophobize particles by means of surfactants adsorption and investigate their attachment to air-liquid interface. This is important as the interfacial interactions between bubbles, particles and liquid determine the efficiency of flotation process.

We aim to understand:

• The effect of surfactant tail length on hydrophobicity of particles and their interfacial behavior
• The effect of salinity and pH on interfacial behavior of surfactant molecules
• The influence of these variables on the properties of emulsions and foams

Experimental methods:

• Profile analysis tensiometry (PAT)
• Zeta potential measurements and particle sizing by dynamic light scattering (DLS)

These experimental methods and the topic of particles at interfaces can prepare you for different jobs after graduation, as these concepts are widely applicable in various areas such as mineral processing, recycling, pharmaceutics, cosmetics, painting and so on.

• Study in process engineering, chemical engineering (or comparative field of study)
• Motivation, interest in this field of research, experimental experience
• Optimally: basic knowledge in particle and interface science

• Duration min. 3 month
• Start: from now