Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Effects of particle shape on growth dynamics at edges of evaporating drops of colloidal suspensions
Peter J Yunker1, Matthew A Lohr, Tim Still
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Abstract:
We study the influence of particle shape on growth processes at the edges of evaporating drops. Aqueous suspensions of colloidal particles evaporate on glass slides, and convective flows during evaporation carry particles from drop center to drop edge, where they accumulate. The resulting particle deposits grow inhomogeneously from the edge in two dimensions, and the deposition front, or growth line, varies spatiotemporally. Measurements of the fluctuations of the deposition front during evaporation enable us to identify distinct growth processes that depend strongly on particle shape. Sphere deposition exhibits a classic Poisson-like growth process; deposition of slightly anisotropic particles, however, belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class, and deposition of highly anisotropic ellipsoids appears to belong to a third universality class, characterized by Kardar-Parisi-Zhang fluctuations in the presence of quenched disorder.
Related Concept Videos
The Colloidal State
Colloidal precipitates
Colloids
Colloids and Suspensions
Precipitate Formation and Particle Size Control
The obtained precipitate should be either a pure substance of known composition or easily converted to one by a simple process, such as ignition or drying. In addition, the precipitate should be insoluble and easily filterable. In general, filterability...
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area

