Gravity-induced liquid crystal phase transitions of colloidal platelets.
The influence of gravity on a suspension of sterically stabilized colloidal gibbsite platelets is studied. An initially isotropic-nematic biphasic sample of such a suspension develops a columnar phase on the bottom on prolonged standing. This phenomenon is described using a simple osmotic compression model. We performed Monte Carlo simulations of cut spheres with aspect ratio L/D=1/15 and took data from the literature to supply the equations of state required for the model. We find that the model describes the observed three-phase equilibrium quite well.
van der Beek
David
D
Van't Hoff Laboratory for Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Schilling
Tanja
T
Lekkerkerker
Henk N W
HN