An Enthalpic Analysis on the Aggregation of Colloidal Particles Studied by Microcalorimetry

There are different theories concerning the stability of colloidal suspensions. Most of them arise from the well-known DLVO theory which relates colloidal stability to intermolecular forces between particles. Experimental corroboration of these theories has been obtained mainly by using different optical techniques that analyze changes in the optical properties of the solution while particles aggregate. However, no attention has been paid to studying the aggregation process thermodynamically. This is why we have focussed on studying the heat released during the agglutination of polystyrene particles. The enthalpy change in this aggregation process was detected by using a highly sensitive and modern technique called isothermal titration calorimetry. In addition, some results about repeptization, that is, reversibility in the aggregation process, are also shown. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.