Colloidal Jamming at Interfaces: a Route to Fluid-bicontinuous Gels
Soft Condensed Matter
2007-05-23 v1 Materials Science
Statistical Mechanics
Abstract
Colloidal particles or nanoparticles, with equal affinity for two fluids, are known to adsorb irreversibly to the fluid-fluid interface. We present large-scale computer simulations of the demixing of a binary solvent containing such particles. The newly formed interface sequesters the colloidal particles; as the interface coarsens, the particles are forced into close contact by interfacial tension. Coarsening is dramatically curtailed, and the jammed colloidal layer seemingly enters a glassy state, creating a multiply connected, solid-like film in three dimensions. The resulting gel contains percolating domains of both fluids, with possible uses as, for example, a microreaction medium.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0510040,
title = {Colloidal Jamming at Interfaces: a Route to Fluid-bicontinuous Gels},
author = {K. Stratford and R. Adhikari and I. Pagonabarraga and J. -C. Desplat and M. E. Cates},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0510040},
year = {2007}
}