Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol.256, No.2, 268-272, 2002
Adsorption kinetics of asphaltenes at liquid interfaces
When asphaltenes adsorb at liquid interfaces, after the rapid initial diffusion step toward the interface, a long reorganization and a progressive building of multilayers occur. The reorganization is faster at oil-water interfaces than at air-oil interfaces, but the multilayer formation takes similar times. In the case of oil-water interfaces, the time scales are similar for different oils, but the variation with asphaltene concentration is qualitatively different: adsorption becomes faster with increasing concentrations for oils that are good asphaltene solvents and slower in the case of poor solvents. The presence of surfactant changes significantly the adsorption process.