Dr Catherine Whitby
Contact Details
Tel: +61 8 8302 6866
Fax: +61 8 8302 3683
Email: catherine.whitby@unisa.edu.au
Position
Senior Research Fellow/ARC Future Fellow
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) UNSW PhD Melbourne
Background
Catherine obtained her Bachelor of Science from the University of New South
Wales. Her Honours project was supervised by Professors Brynn Hibbert and
Robert Lamb. She did her PhD in the School of Chemistry at the University of
Melbourne under the supervision of Professors Thomas Healy, Franz Grieser
and Peter Scales. Her research involved using the atomic force microscope
and electrokinetic techniques to study the molecular structure of inorganic,
surfactant and polymeric adsorbed layers on inorganic substrates and the
function of the adsorbed layers in particle interactions. After completing
her studies she worked as a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Bernard
Binks and Doctor John Clint at the University of Hull. She investigated the
formation, structure and flow behaviour of nanoparticle-stabilised
emulsions. She then took up a Gritton Postdoctoral Fellowship at the
University of Sydney and worked with Professor Gregory Warr studying
emulsions using neutron scattering and electroacoustic techniques. Catherine
joined the Ian Wark Research Institute at UniSA in late 2006.
Research Interests
Catherine's research aims to understand how fine particles and surfactants
at drop and bubble surfaces control the performance of emulsion and foam
formulations. The presence of particles can be beneficial or generate costly
problems. The formation of 'crud', unwanted particle-stabilised emulsions of
organic and aqueous phases increases the cost of recovering precious metals
and oil. Particle-stabilised emulsions and foams have important
applications, however, as novel materials for drug delivery and solid foams.
Catherine applies microfluidic, bulk and interfacial rheology, and
microscopy and scattering techniques to investigating how the interactions
between particles and drops (or bubbles) can be manipulated to control
emulsion stability.
Catherine welcomes applications for PhD and Honours positions, international
visiting student traineeships and undergraduate summer vacation scholarships
in her research area. Please go to the
Future Students webpage for
information on scholarships. Please email her for more information on
projects.
Catherine is grateful to the Australian Research Council, the University of
South Australia, the Ian Wark Research Institute, the Australian Coal
Association Research Program, the ARC/NHMRC Network: Fluorescence
Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences and the Australian Academy
of Sciences for funding.
Supervisor - Available Postgraduate/Honours Projects
Controlled
detachment of colloidal particles from fluid interfaces (P)
Emulsion
formation in the presence of particle mixtures (P)
Controlled
detachment of colloidal particles from fluid interfaces (H)
Significant Publications
'Selective separation of very fine particles at a planar air-water
interface', D. N. H. Tran, C. P. Whitby, D. Fornasiero, J. Ralston,
International Journal of Mineral Processing, 94, 35 (2010).
'Structure of oil-in-water emulsions stabilised by silica and hydrophobised
titania particles', C. P. Whitby, D. Fornasiero and J. Ralston, Journal of
Colloids and Interface Science, 342, 205 (2010).
'Interaction of fine and ultrafine particles with bubbles, S. Y. Tan, C. P.
Whitby, D. Fornasiero and J. Ralston, Proceedings of CHEMECA 2009, Engineers
Australasia, Perth.
'Brownian diffusion of ultrafine particles to an air-water interface', S. T.
Tan, C. P. Whitby, J. Ralston, D. Fornasiero, Advanced Powder Technology,
20, 262 (2009).
'Effect of Adding Anionic Surfactant on the Stability of Pickering
Emulsions, C. P. Whitby, D. Fornasiero and J. Ralston, Journal of Colloids
and Interface Science, 329, 173 (2009).
'Effect of Oil Soluble Surfactant in Emulsions Stabilised by Clay
Particles', C. P. Whitby, D. Fornasiero and J. Ralston, Journal of Colloids
and Interface Science, 323, 410 (2008).
'Brownian diffusion of ultrafine particles to gas bubbles', S. Y. Tan, C. P.
Whitby, D. Fornasiero and J. Ralston, Proceedings of CHEMECA 2008, Engineers
Australasia, Newcastle.
'In Situ Determination of the Size and Polydispersity of Concentrated
Emulsions', C. P. Whitby, A. M. Djerdjev, J. K. Beattie and G. G. Warr,
Langmuir, 23, 1694 (2007).
'Nanoparticle Adsorption and Stabilisation of Surfactant-Free Emulsions', C.
P. Whitby, A. M. Djerdjev, J. K. Beattie and G. G. Warr, Journal of Colloids
and Interface Science, 301, 342 (2006).
'Naturally Occurring Spore Particles at Planar Fluid Interfaces and in
Emulsions', B. P. Binks, J. H. Clint, G. Mackenzie, C. Simcock and C. P.
Whitby, Langmuir, 21, 8161 (2005).
'Rheological Behavior of Water-in-Oil Emulsions Stabilized by Hydrophobic
Bentonite Particles', B. P. Binks, J. H. Clint and C. P. Whitby, Langmuir,
21, 5307 (2005).
'Nanoparticle Silica-Stabilised Oil-in-Water Emulsions: Improving Emulsion
Stability', B. P. Binks and C. P. Whitby, Colloids & Surfaces A., 253, 105
(2005).
'Synthesis of Sterically-Stabilized Polystyrene Latex Particles Using
Cationic Block Copolymers and Macromonomers and Their Application as
Stimulus-Responsive Particulate Emulsifiers for Oil-in-Water Emulsions', J.
I. Amalvy, G. -F. Unali, Y. Li, S. Granger-Bevan, S. P. Armes, B. P. Binks,
J. A. Rodrigues and C. P. Whitby, Langmuir, 20, 4345 (2004).
'Silica Particle-Stabilized Emulsions of Silicone Oil and Water: Aspects of
Emulsification', B. P. Binks and C. P. Whitby, Langmuir, 20, 1130 (2004).
'Ellipsometric Study of Monodisperse Silica Particles at an Oil-Water
Interface', B. P. Binks, J. H. Clint, A. K. F. Dyab, P. D. I. Fletcher, M.
Kirkland and C. P. Whitby, Langmuir, 19, 8888 (2003).
'Some general features of limited coalescence in solid-stabilized
emulsions', S. Arditty, C. P. Whitby, B. P. Binks, V. Schmitt and F.
Leal-Calderon, Eur. Phys. J. E., 11, 273 (2003).
'Temperature-Dependent Stability of Water-in-Undecanol Emulsions', B. P. Binks and C. P. Whitby, Colloids Surfaces A, 224, 241 (2003).
'PAA/PEO Comb Polymer Effects on Rheological Properties and Interparticle
Forces in Aqueous Silica Suspensions', C. P. Whitby, P. J. Scales, F. Grieser, T. W. Healy, G. Kirby, J. A. Lewis and C. F. Zukoski, J. Colloid
Interface Sci, 262, 274 (2003).
'The Adsorption of Dodecyltrimethylammonium Bromide on Mica in Aqueous
Solution Studied by X-Ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy', C. P.
Whitby, P. J. Scales, F. Grieser, T. W. Healy, S. Nishimura and H. Tateyama,
J. Colloid Interface Sci., 235, 350 (2001).
'Atomic Environment of Tantalum in the Intermediate Fluorite Phase of
SrBi2Ta2O9 Thin Films', A. J. Hartmann, C. D. Gutleben, G. J. Foran, C. P.
Whitby, R. N. Lamb, C. Isobe, K. Watanabe and J. F. Scott, Ferroelectric
Lett., 23, 75 (1997).
'Electrodeposition of Copper in Quasi-Two Dimensions from Solutions
Containing Sodium Sulfate', S. N. Atchison, R. P. Burford, C. P. Whitby, D.
B. Hibbert, J. Electroanalytical Chem., 399, 71 (1995).