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research article
Limits to gelation in colloidal aggregation
The dynamics of large fractal colloid aggregates, which were described by a combination of translational and rotational diffusion and internal elastic fluctuations, were investigated. Light scattering was used to measure dynamics of colloidal aggregates formed both in microgravity and on Earth. The comparison of results obtained in microgravity and on Earth demonstrated that cluster growth is limited by gravity-induced restructuring. The results show that in the absence of gravity, thermal fluctuations ultimately inhibit fractal growth and set the fundamental limitation to the lowest volume fraction which will gel.
Type
research article
Authors
•
Cipelletti, L.
•
Trappe, V.
•
Bailey, A. E.
•
Christianson, R. J.
•
Gasser, U.
•
Prasad, V.
•
Segre, P. N.
•
Doherty, M. P.
•
Sankaran, S.
Publication date
2004
Published in
Volume
93
Issue
10
Start page
108302
End page
1
Peer reviewed
REVIEWED
EPFL units
Available on Infoscience
November 26, 2012
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