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Drying of Complex Suspensions

Lei Xu (徐磊), Alexis Bergès, Peter J. Lu (陸述義), André R. Studart, Andrew B. Schofield, Hidekazu Oki (沖秀一), Simon Davies, and David A. Weitz
Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 128303 – Published 24 March 2010
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Abstract

We investigate the 3D structure and drying dynamics of complex mixtures of emulsion droplets and colloidal particles, using confocal microscopy. Air invades and rapidly collapses large emulsion droplets, forcing their contents into the surrounding porous particle pack at a rate proportional to the square of the droplet radius. By contrast, small droplets do not collapse, but remain intact and are merely deformed. A simple model coupling the Laplace pressure to Darcy’s law correctly estimates both the threshold radius separating these two behaviors, and the rate of large-droplet evacuation. Finally, we use these systems to make novel hierarchical structures.

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  • Received 29 July 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.128303

©2010 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Drying out in 3D

Published 2 April 2010

As aqueous emulsions containing colloidal particles dry, two very different behaviors are observed.

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Authors & Affiliations

Lei Xu (徐磊)1,2, Alexis Bergès3, Peter J. Lu (陸述義)2, André R. Studart4, Andrew B. Schofield5, Hidekazu Oki (沖秀一)6, Simon Davies7, and David A. Weitz2

  • 1Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
  • 2Department of Physics and SEAS, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
  • 3Département de physique, École Normale Supérieure, 75005 Paris, France
  • 4Complex Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
  • 5The School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom
  • 6Shinagawa-ku, 141-0032 Tokyo, Japan
  • 7AkzoNobel Corporate, R320 Wilton Centre, Redcar TS104RF, United Kingdom

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Issue

Vol. 104, Iss. 12 — 26 March 2010

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