Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Colloidal State

The Colloidal State

The formation of a colloidal system is exemplified by an aqueous solution containing Cl− ions is introduced to another containing Ag+ ions, resulting in the precipitation of solid AgCl as extremely tiny crystals. Instead of settling out as a filterable precipitate, these crystals remain suspended in the liquid, showcasing a colloidal system.A colloidal system involves colloidal particles within the approximate range of 1 to 1000 nm in at least one dimension, dispersed in a medium called the...

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria

Recrystallization is a purification technique used to separate impurities from solid compounds. In this technique, no chemical reactions occur. Instead, it exploits physical properties only, specifically, the solubility differences between the desired compound and impurities, either at a single temperature or at different temperatures, and under other selected conditions. The solid-solution equilibrium (solubility equilibrium) of each component in the solution represents a binary phase...

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...

Colloidal precipitates

Colloidal precipitates

The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent – the...

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the generated carbocation,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Overview: the Janus-nature of molecular CO<sub>2</sub> in charge adjustment at wet surfaces.

Soft matter·2026

Same author

Active Particles in Tunable Compressible Environments.

Small science·2026

Same author

CO<sub>2</sub>-induced drastic decharging of dielectric surfaces in aqueous suspensions.

Soft matter·2024

Same author

Accessing the free expansion of a crystalline colloidal drop by optical experiments.

Soft matter·2024

Same author

Weak Ion-Exchange Based Magnetic Swarm for Targeted Drug Delivery and Chemotherapy.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2023

Same author

Electrokinetic effects of ambient and excess carbonization of dielectric surfaces in aqueous environments.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Unusual crystallization kinetics in a hard sphere colloid-polymer mixture.

Thomas Palberg¹, Andreas Stipp, Eckhard Bartsch

¹Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Institut für Physik, Staudingerweg 7, D-55128 Mainz, Germany.

Physical Review Letters

|March 5, 2009

Summary

Crystallization kinetics in colloid-polymer mixtures show size increases with a power law. This suggests polymer density, not a single component, acts as the conserved order parameter during phase transitions.

More Related Videos

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

Published on: September 8, 2016

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Area of Science:

Soft matter physics
Materials science
Physical chemistry

Background:

Colloid-polymer mixtures exhibit complex phase behavior.
Understanding crystallization kinetics is crucial for materials design.
Previous models often treat mixtures as effective one-component systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the crystallization kinetics of a hard sphere colloid-polymer mixture.
To determine the growth mechanism and identify the conserved order parameter.
To explore the role of local geometric demixing in phase transitions.

Main Methods:

Time-resolved Bragg scattering
Small-angle light scattering
Analysis of crystallite size evolution

Main Results:

Crystallite size increases with a power law (exponent ~1/3) during both conversion and coarsening.
This growth behavior is inconsistent with a one-component system model.
Evidence suggests polymer density acts as the conserved order parameter.

Conclusions:

The crystallization of colloid-polymer mixtures is governed by polymer density as the conserved order parameter.
Local geometric demixing plays a key role in the observed kinetics.
Findings challenge the effective one-component model for these systems.