Dense Cluster Formation during Aggregation and Gelation of Attractive Slippery Nanoemulsion Droplets

Journal Article · Fri Jan 13 00:00:00 EST 2006 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.015501· OSTI ID:20775022

Wilking, J N; Graves, S M; Chang, C B; Meleson, K; Mason, T G ^[1]; Lin, M Y ^[2]

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1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, California NanoSystems Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)
2. Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899 (United States)

Using time-resolved small angle neutron scattering, we have measured the wave-number-dependent structure factor S(q) of monodisperse nanoemulsions that aggregate and gel after we suddenly turn on a strong, short-range, slippery attraction between the droplets. At high q, peaks in S(q) appear as dense clusters of droplets form, and S(q) increases strongly toward low q, as these dense clusters become locked into a rigid gel network, despite the fluidity of the films between the droplets. The long-time high-q structure of nanoemulsion gels formed by slippery diffusion-limited cluster aggregation is universal in shape and remarkably independent of the droplet volume fraction, {phi}.

• OSTI ID: 20775022
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 96, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.015501; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
AGGLOMERATION
DIFFUSION
DROPLETS
GELATION
GELS
MICROEMULSIONS
NANOSTRUCTURES
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
SMALL ANGLE SCATTERING
STRUCTURE FACTORS
TIME RESOLUTION