Colloidal gels assembled via a temporary interfacial scaffold.
The liquid-liquid phase separation of a binary solvent can be arrested by colloidal particles trapped at the interface [K. Stratford, Science 309, 2198 (2005)]. We show experimentally that the colloidal network so formed can remain stable after fully remixing the liquids, creating a new type of gel in which colloids in a single-phase solvent have locally planar coordination. We argue that this structure is likely maintained by primary-minimum Derjaguin-Landau-Verweg-Overbeek bonding of our charged colloids, created under strong compression by capillary forces. We present simulation evidence that the combination of a short-ranged attraction with a repulsive barrier can strongly stabilize such locally planar gels.
Sanz
Eduardo
E
SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom.
White
Kathryn A
KA
Clegg
Paul S
PS
Cates
Michael E
ME