Project 8 aims to develop and understand the fundamental mechanisms of emulsion stabilization

and destabilization critical in many applications. For example, the formation of emulsions

stabilized by naturally occurring asphaltenes and other surface active components leads to

significant challenges in crude oil-water separations. We strive to improve the understanding of

interfacial rheology to enable investigations of the stability of oil-in-water and water-in-oil

emulsions that can ultimately lead to next generation demulsification technologies.