Self-diffusion in dilute colloidal suspensions with attractive potential interactions.
The colloidal short-time self-diffusivity D(s)(s)(phi) is significantly retarded relative to hard sphere suspensions for the case of interparticle potential interactions induced by a nonadsorbing polymer. A comparison of diffusing wave spectroscopy measurements with direct calculations of D(s)(s)(phi) demonstrates that depletion effects on structure explain the observed retardation. We show that coexistence boundaries place unexpectedly severe constraints on the amount of D(s)(s)(phi) retardation possible for stable suspensions. The measured retardation is demonstrated to be an indicator of suspension metastability.
Seefeldt
Kurt F
KF
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2136, USA.
Solomon
Michael J
MJ