dispergierten

Dispergierten is the past participle form of the German verb dispergieren, meaning to distribute or spread a substance uniformly within another phase to form a dispersion. In scientific contexts it refers to solids, liquids, or gases that have been broken down or separated into small, distributed entities within a continuous medium. Dispersions include suspensions (solid in liquid), emulsions (liquid in liquid), and aerosols (solid or liquid in gas).

The goal of dispersion technology is to achieve a stable, homogeneous distribution of the dispersed phase and to prevent re-agglomeration. This is typically accomplished by mechanical methods such as milling, grinding, bead milling, high-shear mixing, rotor-stator devices, high-pressure homogenization, or ultrasound. The choice of method depends on particle size targets, material hardness, and rheology of the medium. Stabilization then relies on electrostatic, steric, or mixed (electrosteric) mechanisms, commonly using dispersants, surfactants, polymers, or charge modifiers to keep particles apart.

Dispersions are categorized by the nature of the dispersed phase: suspensions (solid particles in a liquid), emulsions (droplets of one liquid in another), and aerosols (solid or liquid in a gas). They are used across industries, including paints and coatings, inks, ceramics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food products. Quality attributes include particle size distribution, uniformity, stability over time, and rheological behavior, often quantified by zeta potential, dynamic light scattering, and sedimentation tests.

Challenges in dispersion include preventing agglomeration, controlling drying and re-dispersion of powders, and maintaining stability under processing and storage conditions.