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Updated: May 4, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Effects of viscosity, surface tension, and evaporation rate of solvent on dry colloidal structures: a lattice
Toshihisa Munekata1, Takahisa Suzuki1, Shunsuke Yamakawa1
1Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192, Japan.
Abstract:
Understanding the mechanisms of how colloidal solution properties and drying processes result in dry colloidal structures is essential for industrial applications such as paint, ceramics, and electrodes. In this study, we develop a computational method to simulate the drying process of colloidal suspensions containing solid particles and polymers. The method consists of a solvent evaporation model, a fluid particle dynamics method, and a two-phase lattice Boltzmann method. We determine that a high-viscosity solvent, small surface tension, and a high evaporation rate of the solvent lead to a structure with dispersed particles and interconnected pores. When these conditions are not present, the particles agglomerate and the pores are disconnected.
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