Issue 14, 2009

Phase behavior and rheology of attractive rod-like particles

Abstract

Colloidal rods interacting with a temperature-dependant attraction are constructed by grafting the polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) to the surface of the charged, semi-flexible filamentous fd virus. The phase diagram of fd-PNIPAM system becomes independent of ionic strength at high salt concentration and low temperature, i.e., the rods are sterically stabilized by the polymer. However, the network of rods undergoes a sol–gel transition as the temperature is raised. The viscoelastic moduli of fd and fd-PNIPAM suspensions are compared as a function of temperature, and the effect of ionic strength on the gelling behavior of fd-PNIPAM solution is measured. For all fluid-like and solid-like samples, the frequency-dependant linear viscoelastic moduli can be scaled onto universal master curves.

Graphical abstract: Phase behavior and rheology of attractive rod-like particles

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Jan 2009
Accepted
03 Apr 2009
First published
13 May 2009

Soft Matter, 2009,5, 2766-2771

Phase behavior and rheology of attractive rod-like particles

F. Huang, R. Rotstein, S. Fraden, K. E. Kasza and N. T. Flynn, Soft Matter, 2009, 5, 2766 DOI: 10.1039/B823522H

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