Paper Number
IR5                         My Program 

Session
Interfacial Rheology, Surfactants, Foams and Emulsions

Title
Stabilizing foams: Insights from thin film dynamics and interfacial rheology

Presentation Date and Time
October 20, 2025 (Monday) 11:10

Track / Room
Track 5 / O’Keeffe + Milagro

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

1. Chatzigiannakis, Emmanouil (Eindhoven University of Technology, Processing and Performance of Materials)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Emmanouil Chatzigiannakis
Processing and Performance of Materials, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Speaker / Presenter 
Chatzigiannakis, Emmanouil

Keywords
foams; interfacial rheology; surfactants

Text of Abstract
The stability and rheology of multiphase materials, such as foams, are largely governed by the properties of their interfaces and the behavior of thin liquid films (TLFs) separating interacting droplets or bubbles. When two bubbles come into close proximity, a TLF forms between them and progressively thins through drainage. This thinning process, along with the overall stability of TLFs, is strongly influenced by interfacial stresses and intermolecular interactions driven by surface-active species. In this talk, we will discuss how experimental techniques, such as the dynamic thin film balance and interfacial shear rheometry, shed light on nano- and micro-scale physics of these materials. Particular attention will be given to films stabilized by low molecular weight surfactants, copolymers, and plant proteins, and how they impact key foam destabilization processes: drainage, coalescence, and Ostwald ripening. We will show that foam half-life is directly related to the type and magnitude of interfacial stresses, as well as to the thickness of the TLFs that separate two bubbles. A universal picture on foam stability emerges, which enables the rational design of sustainable foams.