Glossary

Dispersion of particles

Particle dispersion refers to a heterogeneous system consisting of two or more chemically and physically distinct phases, which may be solid, liquid, or gaseous. The substance with a more abundant presence is called dispersant, while all others are called dispersed. Particle dispersion takes different names depending on the phase (solid, liquid, gas) of the various substances. For example, if the dispersant phase is liquid and the dispersed phase is solid, such heterogeneous system is called a suspension.