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Updated: Oct 23, 2025
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Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
Published on: April 19, 2018
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Glass-liquid and glass-gel transitions of soft-shell particles
Lara Frenzel1,2, Michael Dartsch1,2, Gerard Martí Balaguer3
1Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
Physical Review. E
|August 20, 2021
Summary
Colloidal particle behavior was studied across all phase diagrams. Researchers observed liquid, repulsive glass, and attractive gel phases, revealing a liquid-glass transition independent of concentration and temperature.
Area of Science:
- Soft matter physics
- Colloidal science
- Materials science
Background:
- Colloidal particles with thermo-responsive shells exhibit complex phase behavior.
- Understanding their structure and dynamics is crucial for designing novel materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phase diagram and dynamics of colloidal particles with hard cores and soft shells.
- To elucidate the transitions between liquid, glass, and gel states.
Main Methods:
- Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for structure determination.
- X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) for dynamics analysis.
- Systematic variation of effective volume fraction via temperature and particle concentration.
Main Results:
- Observed liquid, repulsive glass, and attractive gel phases across the phase diagram.
- Dynamics in the liquid phase follow Vogel-Fulcher-Tamann behavior, characteristic of fragile glass formers.
- A concentration and temperature-independent liquid-glass transition occurs above 50 vol.%.
- In an overpacked state (effective volume fraction > 1), a gel-glass transition is observed at 34 vol.%.
- Extrema in subdiffusive dynamics in the liquid phase at lower weight fractions indicate precursors to the glass-gel transition.
Conclusions:
- The study maps the complete phase behavior of these thermo-responsive colloidal systems.
- Dynamic precursors to the gel-glass transition were identified, offering insights into complex fluid dynamics.
- Findings provide a fundamental understanding of colloidal self-assembly and phase transitions.
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