Surviving structure in colloidal suspensions squeezed from 3D to 2D.
Combining colloidal-probe experiments and computer simulations, we analyze the solvation forces F of charged silica colloids confined in films of various thicknesses h. We show that the oscillations characterizing F(h), for sufficiently large h, are determined by the dominant wavelength of the bulk radial distribution function. As a consequence, both quantities display the same power-law density dependence. This is the first direct evidence, in a system treatable both by experiment and by simulation, that the structural wavelength in bulk and confinement coincide, in agreement with predictions from density functional theory. Moreover, theoretical and experimental data are in excellent quantitative agreement.
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Sekr. PN 7-1, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
Sabine H L
SH
Klapp
Yan
Y
Zeng
Dan
D
Qu
Regine
R
von Klitzing
D003198:Computer Simulation; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D055672:Static Electricity; D013535:Suspensions / Q000737:chemistry*
D013535:Suspensions; D012822:Silicon Dioxide