Structure and film formation in charged emulsions and microemulsions

A statistical mechanical approach for investigating ensembles of fluid deformable droplets submerged in an immiscible liquid is suggested. The main emphasis is on the effect of long-range forces as electrostatic and van der Waals, that is why the result are most relevant to oil in water emulsions and microemulsions. The radial distribution functions for different cases of practical interest are calculated and the effect of droplet deformability is demonstrated. It is shown that thin liquid films could form between the droplets even in cases in which the pair energy of interaction is not sufficiently attractive to deform the droplets alone. The reason for this deformation is found to have an entropic origin. Thin-film formation in emulsions is important because of its close relation to their stability. That is why we believe that the approach and results described in this study could be helpful in further understanding the basic properties of emulsions and microemulsion and for interpretation of experimental results. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.