Aqueous Foams: A Field of Investigation at the Frontier Between Chemistry and Physics

This paper reviews the properties of aqueous foams. The current state of knowledge is summarized briefly and the interdisciplinary aspects of this field of investigation are emphasized. Many phenomena are controlled by physical laws, but they are highly dependent upon the chemicals used as foam stabilizers: surfactants, polymers, particles. Most of the existing work is related to surfactants and polymer foams, and little is known yet for particle foams although research in this field is becoming popular. This article presents the general concepts used to describe the monolayers and the films and also some of the recent advances being made in this area.