Stability of aqueous foam films and foams containing polymers: Discrepancies between different length scales

Abstract Polymer stabilized foams and foam films have received considerable attention during the last years. This review paper gives an overview about recent studies dealing with polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures, proteins and microgels adsorbed at single air/water interfaces, in foam films and in macroscopic foams. These polymeric systems have in common that their structure or shape changes, when adsorbing at an air/water interface. These structural changes in comparison to their bulk behavior greatly influence the properties of foam films and foams. Regarding the foam stability, formation of adsorbed layers or aggregates plays an important role. The discrepancy between stabilization of macroscopic foams and destabilization of single foam films might be attributed to the blockage of Plateau borders and therefore slowed down drainage. Another important parameter is the interfacial viscoelasticity.