Issue 5, 2020, Issue in Progress

Positive and negative birefringence in packed films of binary spherical colloidal particles

Abstract

We have investigated the birefringence in packed films of binary spherical colloidal particles. Particulate films were obtained by drying a mixed suspension of colloidal particles with two different diameters. We observed positive and negative birefringence depending on the diameters and volume ratios of the large and small particles. When the diameters of the large and small particles were similar, the films showed positive birefringence. However, negative birefringence or weakening of positive birefringence was observed in films with a large diameter ratio and an optimal volume fraction of large particles. The large particles were embedded in packed small particles in the negative and weakened positive birefringent films. We propose a packing structure in which a single shell layer of small particles formed around a large particle. Using this model, we estimated the required volume ratio of large particles, and it was in good agreement with the optimal volume fraction. The relation between the packing structure of the binary colloidal particles and the birefringence is discussed.

Graphical abstract: Positive and negative birefringence in packed films of binary spherical colloidal particles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Nov 2019
Accepted
06 Jan 2020
First published
14 Jan 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2020,10, 2566-2574

Positive and negative birefringence in packed films of binary spherical colloidal particles

K. Inoue and S. Inasawa, RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 2566 DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09704J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements