Particle & Particle Systems Characterization, Vol.15, No.5, 230-236, 1998
Ultrasonic spectrometry for particle size analysis in dense submicron suspensions
Ultrasonic spectrometry was applied to the particle size analysis of disperse systems. The investigations were made for acoustic conditions called the long-wavelength regime (LWR). In the LWR the acoustic behaviour is governed by dissipative effects rather than by scattering. Two principal theoretical approaches to ultrasonic spectrometry scattering theory and coupled phase models - are introduced. A model based on a newly developed coupled phase model and the scattering theory (ECAH theory) is implemented in the ultrasonic spectrometer AcoustoPhor. Experiments were carried out for several suspensions with a high density contrast. It could be demonstrated that the model successfully describes acoustic attenuation and that the inversion algorithm finds particle size distributions comparable to those given by other measurement, techniques. With regard to the particle size, a lower and an upper limit for the applicability were determined, which include three decades. As a further result, the model was validated at concentrations up to 10 vol.%. The model is considered to be open to development to cover even higher concentrations.
Keywords:CONCENTRATED POLYDISPERSE COLLOIDS;ACOUSTIC SPECTROSCOPY;ATTENUATION;EMULSIONS;CONTRAST;SOUND