No abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the break up of nanoparticle clusters in a liquid using an in-line rotor stator. Two types of fumed silica particles were dispersed in distilled water: Aerosil 200 V, which is hydrophilic, has a primary particle size of 12 nm and Aerosil R816 which is based on Aerosil 200 V and surface modified to render it hydrophobic. The article reports on the rheology of the dispersions, particle size analysis, the effect of concentration, and processing conditions such as the rotor speed, that is, the specific power input, and flow rate, that is, the residence time.

This thesis is a description of the work carried out at Imperial College London for this PhD. The work presented here is the original work of the author and where sources of information have been used, they have been referenced accordingly. No part of this thesis has been submitted for a degree at this or any other university.