title: Physics in ordered and disordered colloidal matter composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel particles.
abstract: This review collects and describes experiments that employ colloidal suspensions to probe physics in ordered and disordered solids and related complex fluids. The unifying feature of this body of work is its clever usage of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgel particles. These temperature-sensitive colloidal particles provide experimenters with a 'knob' for in situ control of particle size, particle interaction and particle packing fraction that, in turn, influence the structural and dynamical behavior of the complex fluids and solids. A brief summary of PNIPAM particle synthesis and properties is given, followed by a synopsis of current activity in the field. The latter discussion describes a variety of soft matter investigations including those that explore formation and melting of crystals and clusters, and those that probe structure, rearrangement and rheology of disordered (jammed/glassy) and partially ordered matter. The review, therefore, provides a snapshot of a broad range of physics phenomenology which benefits from the unique properties of responsive microgel particles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Yunker
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gratale
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lohr
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Still
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Yodh
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010316:Particle Size; D044367:Phase Transition
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D003102:Colloids; D005782:Gels; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide