Casting Dispersions, Call for Papers!

14 Nov 2017

Venue: SCI, London, UK
Date: Monday 26 March 2018

When a colloidal dispersion is dried the material transitions from a liquid to a solid. The process determines the final properties of the dry material and understanding the physics of the drying is crucial for a range of industries, including paints and varnishes, pottery and self-assembly applications.

For paints and varnishes the requirement is to achieve a uniform film free of cracks. This necessitates minimisation of the often-observed horizontal drying fronts, commonly known as the coffee ring effect.

For pottery glaze a well-defined crack pattern, called craquelure, is often desired. Controlling the rate of drying and the arrangement of constituent particles is the method of achieving this.

For self-assembly applications, the ability to create materials with defined composition and topology is the ultimate aim, which requires an understanding of the drying process. A recent example involves stratification, where different types of particle arrange themselves into different areas of a dry film.

SCI’s Colloid & Surface Chemistry Group are pleased to hold this one day meeting, Casting Dispersions, to explore research currently being carried out on the drying of dispersions, in collaboration with the RSC’s Colloid and Interface Science Group. The meeting will provide networking and knowledge sharing opportunities for industrialists and academics alike, from backgrounds in formulation, coatings and agrochemicals, through to colloids and fluid mechanics. The day will include three invited lectures from international experts;

• Prof Colin Bain, University of Durham, UK
• Dr Richard Sear, University of Surrey, UK
• Prof Damien Baigl, École Normale Supérieure, France

Furthermore, there is still time to contribute to the conference programme. If you are working in an academic or industrial lab on issues related to the drying of dispersions, and interested in taking part, please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words to conferences@soci.org by Monday 18 December 2017, indicating title, authors and presentation preference (oral or poster). Oral presentation slots are inevitably limited and will be allocated to achieve a balanced programme.

SCI Members attending this meeting are able to claim CPD points.

Related Links

• Casting Dispersions – Book now!
  - Abstract deadline: Monday 18 December2017
  - Early bird fee deadline: Monday 12 February 2017
• SCI Colloid & Surface Chemistry Group