title: Electric-field-induced phase separation and homogenization dynamics in colloidal suspensions of dichroic rod-shaped pigment particles.
abstract: We report a reversible phase separation phenomenon in nonpolar colloidal suspensions of rod-shaped dichroic pigment particles in an electric field. The voltage-frequency phase diagram features a variety of phases with different morphologies. Single static particle-rich islands, chains of islands, and dynamic patterns were found in this system. We demonstrate that those patterns exhibit complex relaxation dynamics toward the homogeneous field-free state once the external field is removed.
authors.affiliation: Otto von Guericke University , Institute for Experimental Physics, Department for Nonlinear Phenomena, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stannarius
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eremin