Abstract
An amorphous sediment of charged colloidal particles in a nonaqueous solvent was prepared by centrifugation. The evolution of sediment height and volume fraction profile to equilibrium were studied with light scattering. A simple sedimentation-diffusion equation allows the experimental data to be modeled quantitatively. The top of the sediment crystallizes within a week, whereas the lower part of the sediment does not show any sign of crystallization after several months, indicating a strong concentration dependence of crystallization rate.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 6941-6949 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Chemical Physics |
| Volume | 99 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 1993 |
Keywords
- X-RAY MEASUREMENTS
- SETTLING SUSPENSIONS
- ORDER TRANSITION
- SILICA SPHERES
- PHASE-DIAGRAM
- DYNAMICS
- MONODISPERSE
- EQUILIBRIUM
- DISPERSIONS
- DIFFUSION