122 research outputs found
Aging of rotational diffusion in colloidal gels and glasses
We study the rotational diffusion of aging Laponite suspensions for a wide
range of concentrations using depolarized dynamic light scattering. The
measured orientational correlation functions undergo an ergodic to non-ergodic
transition that is characterized by a concentration-dependent
ergodicity-breaking time. We find that the relaxation times associated with
rotational degree of freedom as a function of waiting time, when scaled with
their ergodicity-breaking time, collapse on two distinct master curves. These
master curves are similar to those previously found for the translational
dynamics; The two different classes of behavior were attributed to colloidal
gels and glasses. Therefore, the aging dynamics of rotational degree of freedom
provides another signature of the distinct dynamical behavior of colloidal gels
and glasses.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Multiple nonergodic disordered states in Laponite suspensions: a phase diagram
We study the time evolution of different Laponite suspensions from a
low-viscosity ergodic state to a viscoelastic non-ergodic state over a wide
range of volume fractions and salt contents. We find that the evolution of
non-ergodicity parameter (Debye-Waller factor) splits into two branches for all
the samples, which correspond to two distinct dynamically arrested states. At
moderately high salt concentrations, on the other hand, a third and new
nonergodic state appears that are different from the above two nonergodic
states. Measurement of the conductivity of Laponite solutions in pure water
shows that the contribution of counterions in the ionic strength is
considerable and their role should be taken into account in interpretations of
aging dynamics and the phase diagram. Based on these data and available data in
the literature, we propose a new (non-equilibrium) phase diagram for Laponite
suspensions.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figure
Effective temperatures from the fluctuation-dissipation measurements in soft glassy materials
We have investigated the validity of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT) and the applicability of the concept of effective temperature in a number of non-equilibrium soft glassy materials. Using a combination of passive and active microrheology to measure displacement fluctuations and the mechanical response function of probe particles embedded in the materials, we have directly tested the validity of the FDT. Our results show no violation of the FDT over several decades in frequency (1–104 Hz) for hard-sphere colloidal glasses and colloidal glasses and gels of Laponite. We further extended the bandwidth of our measurements to lower frequencies (down to 0.1 Hz) using video microscopy to measure the displacement fluctuations, again without finding any deviations from the FDT
Fluctuation-dissipation theorem in an aging colloidal glass
We provide a direct experimental test of the Stokes-Einstein relation as a
special case of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT) in an aging colloidal
glass. The use of combined active and passive microrheology allows us to
independently measure both the correlation and response functions in this
non-equilibrium situation. Contrary to previous reports, we find no deviations
from the FDT over several decades in frequency (1 Hz-10 kHz) and for all aging
times. In addition, we find two distinct viscoelastic contributions in the
aging glass, including a nearly elastic response at low frequencies that grows
during aging. This is the clearest change in material properties of the system
with aging.Comment: 5 pages,4 figure
Colloidal aggregation in microgravity by critical Casimir forces
By using the critical Casimir force, we study the attractive strength
dependent aggregation of colloids with and without gravity by means of Near
Field scattering. Significant differences were seen between microgravity and
ground experiments, both in the structure of the formed fractal aggregates as
well as the kinetics of growth. Ground measurements are severely affected by
sedimentation resulting in reaction limited behavior. In microgravity, a purely
diffusive behavior is seen reflected both in the measured fractal dimensions
for the aggregates as well as the power law behavior in the rate of growth.
Formed aggregates become more open as the attractive strength increases.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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