Issue 17, 2011

Micromechanics of colloidal aggregates at the oil–water interface

Abstract

The micromechanics of two-dimensional (2D) colloidal aggregates at the oil–water interface are measured using optical tweezers. Aggregates form from stable 2D suspensions after introducing either 0.25 M NaCl/0.1 mM SDS in the aqueous sub-phase or 25 μM sorbitan monooleate (SPAN 80) in the oil super-phase. Aggregates formed with NaCl/SDS have strong bond bending rigidities due to tangential forces between particles, leading to an average aggregate rigidity κa = 4.9 ± 3.1 mN m−1. Rigid aggregates are consistent with previously reported open microstructures and irreversible, diffusion-limited cluster aggregation kinetics. In contrast, aggregates formed by SPAN 80 exhibit weak bond rigidities (κa = 0.28 ± 0.31 mN m−1), enabling particle rearrangements that lead to a denser microstructure. The micromechanical properties of aggregates that constitute the macrocolloidal structure of 2D suspensions provide a critical link between their colloidal interactions and interfacial rheology.

Graphical abstract: Micromechanics of colloidal aggregates at the oil–water interface

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 feb 2011
Accepted
30 maj 2011
First published
23 jun 2011

Soft Matter, 2011,7, 7683-7688

Micromechanics of colloidal aggregates at the oil–water interface

B. J. Park and E. M. Furst, Soft Matter, 2011, 7, 7683 DOI: 10.1039/C1SM05254C

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