Controlling the Organization of Colloidal Sphero-Cylinders Using Confinement in a Minority Phase

Gels

Paul S. Clegg¹  Niek Hijnen² 

[1] Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK;;School of Physics &

关键词: colloid;    wetting;    capillarity;   

DOI  :  10.3390/gels4010015

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

We demonstrate experimentally that a phase-separating host solvent can be used to organize colloidal rods into different cluster and network states. The rods are silica sphero-cylinders which are preferentially wet by the water-rich phase of an oil–water binary liquid system. By beginning with the rods dispersed in the single-fluid phase and then varying the temperature to enter the demixed regime, a precisely chosen volume of water-rich phase can be created. We then show how this can be used to create independent clusters of rods, a percolating network, a network of clusters or a system that undergoes hindered phase separation. These different modes are selected by choosing the relative volumes of the rods and the water-rich phase and by the timing of the temperature change.

【 授权许可】

Unknown