ABSTRACT
This chapter describes systematic and widespread studies of the four-component clay-polymer-salt-water system. It proposes a new model of polymer bridging flocculation. There are two basic mechanisms for the stabilization of colloids such as charge stabilization and steric stabilization. The chapter also analyzes the mechanism of the contraction and the molecular weight that has converted into a mean end-to-end distance of the polymer. It emphasizes the discontinuous change in behavior at a molecular weight corresponding to a polymer mean end-to-end distance roughly equal to the interlayer spacing strongly which suggests an important role for the bridging flocculation mechanism. The chapter also discusses the advantages of the vermiculite-PEO system for studying the mechanisms of polymer interactions. It concludes that although a qualitative mechanism for bridging flocculation is formulated, the calculation of the absolute value of the drawing force constitutes a new challenge in colloid and polymer science.
