6533b7dbfe1ef96bd1270a4a
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Charged colloidal model systems under confinement in slit geometry: a new setup for optical microscopic studies.
H. J. SchöpeThomas PalbergAlexander Reinmüllersubject
Materials scienceIon exchangemedia_common.quotation_subjectGeometryInertiaIonlaw.inventionCondensed Matter::Soft Condensed MatterInterferometryColloidOptical microscopelawActuatorInstrumentationQuartzmedia_commondescription
A new experimental setup for optical microscopic studies of charged colloidal model systems under confinement between two flat walls is presented. The measurement cell consists of optically flat quartz substrates attached to piezo actuators. Those facilitate fast and flexible adjustment of the confining geometry. Optionally, the local cell height can be quantitatively controlled by in situ interferometric measurements. Proper choice of materials guarantees sufficient chemical inertia against contamination with salt ions. For efficient preparation of charged colloidal suspensions under strongly deionized conditions, the cell can be connected to a conventional pump circuit including a mixed bed ion exchanger column. The usefulness of this setup, in particular for investigating the equilibrium phase behavior of colloids at low background salt concentrations, is demonstrated recalling recent experiments.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-07-05 | The Review of scientific instruments |