| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 49, Number 5, March I 2000
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 672 - 677 | |
| Section | Interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2000-00203-9 | |
| Published online | 01 September 2002 | |
Liquid-solid transition of Laponite suspensions at very low ionic strength: Long-range electrostatic stabilisation of anisotropic colloids
1
Centre de Recherche sur la Matière Divisée,
CNRS 1b rue de la Ferollerie, 45071 Orleans cedex 02, France
2
C. E. Saclay, Service de Chimie Moléculaire - 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex France
Corresponding author: levitz@cnrs-orleans.fr
Received:
20
September
1999
Accepted:
17
December
1999
We study suspensions of synthetic clay Laponite at very low ionic strength.
We show the existence, for these charged disk-like particles, of a liquid-soft
solid transition mainly driven by electrostatic repulsive interactions. Such
a process defines a re-entrant transition line in the phase diagram. Location
of this line is predicted using basic arguments. The structure is characterized
by ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS). Soft-solid suspensions show
a correlation peak compatible with long-range electrostatic stabilization.
Such a result strongly contrasts with the evolution of the scattering spectra
for solid-like suspensions of Laponite at high ionic strength (above 
). Close inspection of this correlation peak reveals that individual particle
distribution is not homogeneous in space.
PACS: 82.70.Dd – Colloids / 83.70.Hq – Heterogeneous liquids: suspensions, dispersions, emulsions, pastes, slurries, foams, block copolymers, etc / 64.70.-p – Specific phase transitions
© EDP Sciences, 2000
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