Knowra Emulsion Emulsion An emulsion is a mixture of droplets of one liquid dispersed throughout another liquid that does not normally mix with it. Its droplets may be stabilized by surfactants or particles.
Surfactant : A substance that lowers surface or interfacial tension, often by accumulating at an interface. Surfactants gather at liquid interfaces and help prevent emulsion droplets from merging.
Dispersed phase : The discontinuous phase distributed as particles, droplets, or bubbles within another phase. In an emulsion, the dispersed phase is the liquid broken into droplets.
Mayonnaise : A thick sauce made chiefly from oil dispersed in an aqueous phase, commonly stabilized by egg yolk. Mayonnaise is a concentrated food emulsion stabilized largely by egg-yolk components.
Suspension : A heterogeneous mixture in which solid particles are dispersed through a fluid. An emulsion disperses liquid droplets, whereas a suspension disperses solid particles.
Interfacial tension : The energy cost per unit area of an interface between two phases. Lower interfacial tension makes it easier to create the large droplet surfaces in an emulsion.
Continuous phase : The connected phase that surrounds and separates dispersed particles, droplets, or bubbles. It is the liquid surrounding the emulsion's droplets.
Milk : A nutrient-containing fluid produced by mammary glands, with fat globules dispersed in an aqueous phase. Milk is a natural oil-in-water emulsion whose droplets are surrounded by membrane material.
Foam : A dispersion of gas bubbles in a liquid or solid continuous phase. Foams disperse gas rather than one liquid throughout another.
Coalescence : The merging of droplets or bubbles into larger ones. When emulsion droplets coalesce, the dispersed phase separates more readily.
Immiscibility : The inability of two substances to mix into a single homogeneous phase under specified conditions. Immiscible liquids can remain as separate phases, allowing one to form droplets in the other.
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