2,734 research outputs found
Determination of the zeta potential for highly charged colloidal suspensions
We compute the electrostatic potential at the surface, or zeta potential
, of a charged particle embedded in a colloidal suspension using a
hybrid mesoscopic model. We show that for weakly perturbing electric fields,
the value of obtained at steady state during electrophoresis is
statistically indistinguishable from in thermodynamic equilibrium. We
quantify the effect of counterions concentration on . We also evaluate
the relevance of the lattice resolution for the calculation of and
discuss how to identify the effective electrostatic radius.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures with 2 panel
Effect of Salt Concentration on the Electrophoretic Speed of a Polyelectrolyte through a Nanopore
In a previous paper [S. Ghosal, Phys. Rev. E 74, 041901 (2006)] a
hydrodynamic model for determining the electrophoretic speed of a
polyelectrolyte through an axially symmetric slowly varying nanopore was
presented in the limit of a vanishingly small Debye length. Here the case of a
finite Debye layer thickness is considered while restricting the pore geometry
to that of a cylinder of length much larger than the diameter. Further, the
possibility of a uniform surface charge on the walls of the nanopore is taken
into account. It is thereby shown that the calculated transit times are
consistent with recent measurements in silicon nanopores.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Systematic characterization of thermodynamic and dynamical phase behavior in systems with short-ranged attraction
In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility and utility of an augmented
version of the Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo method for computing the phase
behavior of systems with strong, extremely short-ranged attractions. For
generic potential shapes, this approach allows for the investigation of
narrower attractive widths than those previously reported. Direct comparison to
previous self-consistent Ornstein-Zernike approximation calculations are made.
A preliminary investigation of out-of-equilibrium behavior is also performed.
Our results suggest that the recent observations of stable cluster phases in
systems without long-ranged repulsions are intimately related to gas-crystal
and metastable gas-liquid phase separation.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Direct numerical simulations for non-Newtonian rheology of concentrated particle dispersions
The non-Newtonian behavior of a monodisperse concentrated dispersion of
spherical particles was investigated using a direct numerical simulation
method, that takes into account hydrodynamic interactions and thermal
fluctuations accurately. Simulations were performed under steady shear flow
with periodic boundary conditions in the three directions. The apparent shear
viscosity of the dispersions was calculated at volume fractions ranging from
0.31 to 0.56. Shear-thinning behavior was clearly observed at high volume
fractions. The low- and high-limiting viscosities were then estimated from the
apparent viscosity by fitting these data into a semi-empirical formula.
Furthermore, the short-time motions were examined for Brownian particles
fluctuating in concentrated dispersions, for which the fluid inertia plays an
important role. The mean square displacement was monitored in the vorticity
direction at several different Peclet numbers and volume fractions so that the
particle diffusion coefficient is determined from the long-time behavior of the
mean square displacement. Finally, the relationship between the non-Newtonian
viscosity of the dispersions and the structural relaxation of the dispersed
Brownian particles is examined
A Simulation Method to Resolve Hydrodynamic Interactions in Colloidal Dispersions
A new computational method is presented to resolve hydrodynamic interactions
acting on solid particles immersed in incompressible host fluids. In this
method, boundaries between solid particles and host fluids are replaced with a
continuous interface by assuming a smoothed profile. This enabled us to
calculate hydrodynamic interactions both efficiently and accurately, without
neglecting many-body interactions. The validity of the method was tested by
calculating the drag force acting on a single cylindrical rod moving in an
incompressible Newtonian fluid. This method was then applied in order to
simulate sedimentation process of colloidal dispersions.Comment: 7pages, 7 figure
Electrophoresis of colloidal dispersions in the low-salt regime
We study the electrophoretic mobility of spherical charged colloids in a
low-salt suspension as a function of the colloidal concentration. Using an
effective particle charge and a reduced screening parameter, we map the data
for systems with different particle charges and sizes, including numerical
simulation data with full electrostatics and hydrodynamics and experimental
data for latex dispersions, on a single master curve. We observe two different
volume fraction-dependent regimes for the electrophoretic mobility that can be
explained in terms of the static properties of the ionic double layer.Comment: Substantially revised versio
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Functional Genomic Analysis of C. elegans Molting
Although the molting cycle is a hallmark of insects and nematodes, neither the endocrine control of molting via size, stage, and nutritional inputs nor the enzymatic mechanism for synthesis and release of the exoskeleton is well understood. Here, we identify endocrine and enzymatic regulators of molting in C. elegans through a genome-wide RNA-interference screen. Products of the 159 genes discovered include annotated transcription factors, secreted peptides, transmembrane proteins, and extracellular matrix enzymes essential for molting. Fusions between several genes and green fluorescent protein show a pulse of expression before each molt in epithelial cells that synthesize the exoskeleton, indicating that the corresponding proteins are made in the correct time and place to regulate molting. We show further that inactivation of particular genes abrogates expression of the green fluorescent protein reporter genes, revealing regulatory networks that might couple the expression of genes essential for molting to endocrine cues. Many molting genes are conserved in parasitic nematodes responsible for human disease, and thus represent attractive targets for pesticide and pharmaceutical development
Self-assembly of the simple cubic lattice with an isotropic potential
Conventional wisdom presumes that low-coordinated crystal ground states
require directional interactions. Using our recently introduced optimization
procedure to achieve self-assembly of targeted structures (Phys. Rev. Lett. 95,
228301 (2005), Phys. Rev. E 73, 011406 (2006)), we present an isotropic pair
potential for a three-dimensional many-particle system whose classical
ground state is the low-coordinated simple cubic (SC) lattice. This result is
part of an ongoing pursuit by the authors to develop analytical and
computational tools to solve statistical-mechanical inverse problems for the
purpose of achieving targeted self-assembly. The purpose of these methods is to
design interparticle interactions that cause self-assembly of technologically
important target structures for applications in photonics, catalysis,
separation, sensors and electronics. We also show that standard approximate
integral-equation theories of the liquid state that utilize pair correlation
function information cannot be used in the reverse mode to predict the correct
simple cubic potential. We report in passing optimized isotropic potentials
that yield the body-centered cubic and simple hexagonal lattices, which provide
other examples of non-close-packed structures that can be assembled using
isotropic pair interactions.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review
The van Hove distribution function for Brownian hard spheres: dynamical test particle theory and computer simulations for bulk dynamics
We describe a test particle approach based on dynamical density functional
theory (DDFT) for studying the correlated time evolution of the particles that
constitute a fluid. Our theory provides a means of calculating the van Hove
distribution function by treating its self and distinct parts as the two
components of a binary fluid mixture, with the `self' component having only one
particle, the `distinct' component consisting of all the other particles, and
using DDFT to calculate the time evolution of the density profiles for the two
components. We apply this approach to a bulk fluid of Brownian hard spheres and
compare to results for the van Hove function and the intermediate scattering
function from Brownian dynamics computer simulations. We find good agreement at
low and intermediate densities using the very simple Ramakrishnan-Yussouff
[Phys. Rev. B 19, 2775 (1979)] approximation for the excess free energy
functional. Since the DDFT is based on the equilibrium Helmholtz free energy
functional, we can probe a free energy landscape that underlies the dynamics.
Within the mean-field approximation we find that as the particle density
increases, this landscape develops a minimum, while an exact treatment of a
model confined situation shows that for an ergodic fluid this landscape should
be monotonic. We discuss possible implications for slow, glassy and arrested
dynamics at high densities.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Chemical Physic
Influence of shear stress applied during flow stoppage and rest period on the mechanical properties of thixotropic suspensions
We study the solid mechanical properties of several thixotropic suspensions
as a function of the shear stress history applied during their flow stoppage
and their aging in their solid state. We show that their elastic modulus and
yield stress depend strongly on the shear stress applied during their
solid-liquid transition (i.e., during flow stoppage) while applying the same
stress only before or only after this transition may induce only second-order
effects: there is negligible dependence of the mechanical properties on the
preshear history and on the shear stress applied at rest. We also found that
the suspensions age with a structuration rate that hardly depends on the stress
history. We propose a physical sketch based on the freezing of a microstructure
whose anisotropy depends on the stress applied during the liquid-solid
transition to explain why the mechanical properties depend strongly on this
stress. This sketch points out the role of the internal forces in the colloidal
suspensions' behavior. We finally discuss briefly the macroscopic consequences
of this phenomenon and show the importance of using a controlled-stress
rheometer
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