We analyze theoretically the electrostatic interaction of surface-charged colloids at water interfaces with special attention to the experimentally relevant case of large charge densities on the colloid-water interface. Whereas linear theory predicts an effective dipole potential the strength of which is proportional to the square of the product of charge density and screening length, nonlinear charge renormalization effects change this dependence to a weakly logarithmic one. These results appear to be particularly relevant for structure formation at air-water interfaces with arbitrarily shaped colloids.
We show that the interaction potential between sterically stabilized, nearly hard-sphere [poly(methylmethacrylate)-poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PMMA-PLMA)] colloids at a water-oil interface has a negligible unscreened-dipole contribution, suggesting that models previously developed for charged particles at liquid interfaces are not necessarily applicable to sterically stabilized particles. Interparticle potentials, $U(r)$, are extracted from radial distribution functions [$g(r)$, measured by fluorescence microscopy] via Ornstein-Zernike inversion and via a reverse Monte Carlo scheme. The results…
In many physical and biological systems, particles and microorganisms move in the proximity of an interface. Understanding the dynamics of a particle suspended close to an interface is not only important conceptually but is crucial for practical applications ranging from the treatment of waste waters to industrial applications of self-assemblies. In this work, we experimentally investigate the effects of colloidal weight on its dynamics while moving in the close proximity of a variety of liquid-solid and liquid-air interfaces. Using an upward magnetic force, we change the effective weight of a…
Responsive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-based microgels are commonly used as model colloids with soft repulsive interactions. It has been shown that the microgel-microgel interaction in solution can be easily adjusted by varying the environmental parameters, e.g., temperature, pH, or salt concentration. Furthermore, microgels readily adsorb to liquid-gas and liquid-liquid interfaces forming responsive foams and emulsions that can be broken on-demand. In this work, we explore the interactions between microgel monolayers at the air-water interface and a hard colloid in the water. Force-distance cu…
We report experiments that show rapid crystallization of colloids tethered to an oil-water interface in response to laser illumination. This light-induced transition is due to a combination of long-ranged thermophoretic pumping and local optical binding. We show that the flow-induced force on the colloids can be described as the gradient of a potential. The nonequilibrium steady state due to local heating thus admits an effective equilibrium description. The optofluidic manipulation explored in this work opens novel ways to manipulate and assemble colloidal particles
Recent laboratory efforts and telescopic observations of Europa have shown the relevance of a yellow colouration of sodium chloride (NaCl) caused by crystal defects generated by irradiation. We further investigate this process by irradiating (with energetic electrons) different types of analogues where NaCl is associated in different ways to water ice. We produce two types of icy analogues: compact slabs and granular particles where we investigate two particle sizes (5 and 70 $μ$m). We perform electron irradiation at cryogenic temperatures (100 K) and under high vacuum (10-7 mbar) conditions, …
Living microorganisms in confined systems typically experience an affinity to populate boundaries. The reason for such affinity to interfaces can be a combination of their directed motion and hydrodynamic interactions at distances larger than their own size. Here we will show that self-propelled Janus particles (polystyrene particles partially coated with platinum) immersed in droplets of water and hydrogen peroxide tend to accumulate in the vicinity of the liquid/gas interface. Interestingly, the interfacial accumulation occurs despite the presence of an evaporation-driven flow caused by a so…
Laser fragmentation in liquid - constructing a generic reaction map
Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)（光子科学与同步辐射研究所，卡尔斯鲁厄理工学院）；Technical Chemistry I and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen（杜伊斯堡-埃森大学技术化学I与纳米集成杜伊斯堡-埃森中心）；ESRF（欧洲同步辐射光源）
PNIPAm microgels synthesized via free radical polymerization (FRP) are often considered as neutral colloids in aqueous media, although it is well known, since the pioneering work of Pelton and coworkers [Langmuir 1989, 5, 816-818], that the vanishing electrophoretic mobility characterizing swollen microgels largely increases above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAm, at which microgels partially collapse. The presence of an electric charge has been attributed to the ionic initiators that are employed when FRP is performed in water and that stay anchored to microgel particl…
