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...

Colloids

Colloids

Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...

Colloids and Suspensions

Colloids and Suspensions

Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...

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...

Coagulation

Coagulation

Colloidal solids are solid particles suspended in solution. They are usually negatively charged, attracting a compact primary layer of positively charged ions, which attract more counterions to form an electrical double layer. Electrostatic repulsion between the charged double layers prevents the particles from colliding, stabilizing the colloids. These solids are often undesirable because they can contain toxins that are difficult to remove. Coagulation is a technique that helps aggregate and...

Solubility

Solubility

Solution, Solubility, and Solubility Equilibrium
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Machine Learning to Predict Prostate Artery Embolization Outcomes.

Cardiovascular and interventional radiology·2024

Same author

Correction to: Safety and Feasibility of Skin-to-Skin Contact in the Delivery Room for High-Risk Cardiac Neonates.

Pediatric cardiology·2024

Same author

Safety and Feasibility of Skin-to-Skin Contact in the Delivery Room for High-Risk Cardiac Neonates.

Pediatric cardiology·2023

Same author

Controlling Kinetic Pathways in Demixing Microgel-Micelle Mixtures.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2023

Same author

Dysmyelination and glycolipid interference caused by phenylalanine in phenylketonuria.

International journal of biological macromolecules·2022

Same author

Distinctive gut microbiomes of ankylosing spondylitis and inflammatory bowel disease patients suggest differing roles in pathogenesis and correlate with disease activity.

Arthritis research & therapy·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids

Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids

Published on: April 22, 2016

Structure of colloidal sphere-plate mixtures.

N Doshi¹, G Cinacchi, J S van Duijneveldt

¹School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal

|April 29, 2011

Summary

Plate-like clay particles in coatings enhance sphere-like pigment dispersion at low concentrations but phase separate at higher concentrations. Dynamic arrest prevents large-scale separation in real paint films, maintaining opacity.

More Related Videos

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

Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly

Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly

Published on: November 4, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids

Synthesis and Characterization of Supramolecular Colloids

Published on: April 22, 2016

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

Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly

Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly

Published on: November 4, 2021

Area of Science:

Colloid and surface science
Materials science
Rheology

Background:

Coatings utilize spherical pigment particles and plate-like clay particles.
Clay particles are believed to improve paint film opacity by spacing pigment particles effectively.
This spacing effect is counterintuitive due to the tendency of dissimilar particle suspensions to phase separate.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the behavior of mixed sphere-plate colloidal systems.
To understand the role of particle shape and concentration on dispersion and phase separation.
To clarify the mechanism behind the stable dispersion of particles in coatings.

Main Methods:

A model colloidal system with a sphere-plate diameter ratio relevant to paints was studied.
Small-angle neutron scattering was employed to analyze particle behavior in dilute suspensions.
Theoretical predictions were used for comparison with experimental observations.

Main Results:

In dilute suspensions, the addition of plates increased density fluctuations of spheres, aligning with theoretical predictions.
At higher concentrations, spheres and plates phase separated due to shape disparity, consistent with depletion effects.
No large-scale phase separation was observed in concentrated coatings.

Conclusions:

The addition of plate-like particles influences sphere dispersion in colloidal systems.
Phase separation occurs between spheres and plates at elevated concentrations.
Dynamic arrest in concentrated, intimately mixed or micro-phase separated structures explains the lack of macroscopic phase separation in real coatings.