What do you need Colloid Analysis for?
A large variety of systems already contained in commercial applications make use of colloidal components, the properties of which affect
the properties of the end product. Modern chemical research and production demands analytical methods that focus on the characterisation of
colloidal properties such as
- density
- charge
- mass
- size
- shape
- interactions
- and more.
A simple example: White paint contains titanium dioxide as a pigment, well known for its strong white colour. If a batch of paint
appears bluish, a chemist may look for a blue impurity for a long time, probably applying GC-MS and other methods, but most certainly he
or she will not find any impurity: It is often a deviation in pigment size that is responsible for changes in macroscopic properties like
colour, glossiness and opalescence.
Colloid science opens up a tremendous field of novel products and processes. What is absolutely neccessary are analytical methods focusing
on the specific and new features of these systems.