Particle Packing Process in the Coated Film of Particle Dispersions during Drying

Abstract

The internal structure of the films, which is manufactured by coating and drying of particle dispersion, usually has significant effects on the performance. Therefore, the understandings of the concentration of dispersions and the packing of particles are strongly required for establishing sophisticated manufacturing process. The internal structure composed of aggregated particles in the dispersion is destroyed under shear deformation depending on the condition, and the deformation behavior can be understood based on rheological analysis. The combination of film shrinkage and weight loss during the evaporation of solvent is useful to characterize the concentration and packing processes of dispersed particles. Additionally, light scattering on the surface of drying film of particle dispersion can exhibit the progress of aggregation of the particles. In the present article, how three characterization techniques shown above are useful in the analysis of the drying process of the film of particle dispersion was described. How shear strain in the coating process affects the initial structure of particle dispersion and how the following drying process is changed have been discussed.

Graphical Abstract