Interfacial behavior of asphaltenes.

We review the existing literature on asphaltenes at various types of interfaces: oil-water, air-water, gas-oil and solid-liquid, with more emphasis on the oil-water interfaces. We address the role of asphaltene aggregation, recently clarified for asphaltenes in bulk by the Yen-Mullins model. We discuss the questions of adsorption reversibility and interfacial rheology, especially in connection with emulsion stability.