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Order-to-disorder transition in ring-shaped colloidal stains
Álvaro G Marín1, Hanneke Gelderblom, Detlef Lohse
1Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology Mesa+ Institute, University of Twente, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands. a.g.marin@utwente.nl
Physical Review Letters
|September 21, 2011
Summary
Drying droplets form ring stains. Experiments show a transition from ordered crystals to disordered packings due to flow velocity changes, impacting particle self-assembly.
Area of Science:
- Colloid and surface science
- Materials science
- Physics
Background:
- Evaporation of colloidal droplets on surfaces creates characteristic ring stains.
- This phenomenon is utilized for particle self-assembly, but crystallization conditions are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the conditions governing the transition from ordered to disordered structures in colloidal stains.
- To elucidate the role of droplet evaporation dynamics in particle packing.
Main Methods:
- Experiments using monodisperse colloidal particles.
- Observation of structural transitions in drying droplet stains.
- Analysis of internal flow velocity during droplet evaporation.
Main Results:
- A distinct structural transition was observed, shifting from ordered crystalline arrangements to disordered particle packings.
- This transition is linked to a temporal singularity in the droplet's internal flow velocity near the end of evaporation.
- Low deposition speeds allow for Brownian motion-driven ordering, while high speeds at the end cause jamming.
Conclusions:
- The final structure of colloidal stains is critically dependent on the evaporation dynamics and resulting flow velocities.
- Understanding this transition is key to controlling particle self-assembly and achieving desired stain structures.
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