Modelling the self orientation of particles in a film

Particle stabilised thin films are key to the froth behaviour in flotation systems and affect the performance of the whole process. However, the interaction between the particles in the film is difficult to observe experimentally due to the highly dynamic nature of the system. Particle shape, hydrophobicity and packing arrangements all distort the shape of the liquid vapour interface of the film. This in turn affects the forces acting on the particles. It is possible to simulate this film shape using the Surface Evolver (Brakke, 1992) program, which can be used to calculate the forces acting on the particles and model their behaviour in the film. This approach has been used to investigate the behaviour of cubic particles in a film and their propensity to adopt different stable orientations depending on their contact angle and shape.