Measurement of inter-particle forces from the osmotic pressure of partially frozen dispersions

When an oil-continuous dispersion is frozen two microdomains are formed: one, the pure oil solvent which is selectively solidified (I), the other, a concentrated 'liquid' dispersion of particles in oil (II). These two domains are intimately mixed within the frozen colloid and exist in a state of equilibrium determined by the system pressure and temperature. The position of equilibrium controls the proportion of the solvent which is solidified, and thereby the concentration of particles within the fluid microdomains (II). Combined with SANS measurements, to determine the inter-particle separation in these microdomains, an analysis based on osmotic pressure provides a measure of the inter-particle repulsion forces presented by the surfactant layers.