title: Thin water layers on CaCO3 particles dispersed in oil with added salts.
abstract: We report an investigation of the presence of thin water layers on calcium carbonate particles dispersed in cyclohexane using small-angle neutron scattering. We identify an adsorbed water layer and measure the thickness using contrast variation to optimize the sensitivity of the scattering to the water. We also report the variation in thickness of these water layers in the presence of salt solutions with the variation of salt concentration and valency. We conclude that thin water layers can be observed using SANS; however, the layers are thin and correspond to essentially the hydration of the particle surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical Engineering, BP Institute, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0EZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Seung Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Alexander F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Routh
authors.forename: Stuart M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Clarke