Search results for "Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed Matter"
showing 10 items of 716 documents
Field effect in the viscosity of magnetic colloids studied by multi-particle collision dynamics
2019
Abstract Colloidal solutions of magnetic nanoparticles are usually employed when the fluidity and magnetic properties are required at the same time, either in technical or biomedical applications. However, when the magnetic size of the nanoparticles is large enough (>12–15 nm) the colloid may form an equilibrium structure with or without the external magnetic field, which can significantly influence its rheology. Using multi-particle collision dynamics we study the internal structure and viscosity of the magnetic colloids at varying magnitudes of the externally applied field. We show a generalized structural behavior across all studied regimes and an appreciable increase of flow resistance …
Mathematical modelling of the feed rod shape in floating zone silicon crystal growth
2017
Abstract A three-dimensional (3D) transient multi-physical model of the feed rod melting in the floating zone (FZ) silicon single-crystal growth process is presented. Coupled temperature, electromagnetic (EM), and melt film simulations are performed for a 4 inch FZ system, and the time evolution of the open melting front is studied. The 3D model uses phase boundaries and parameters from a converged solution of a quasi-stationary axisymmetric (2D) model of the FZ system as initial conditions for the time dependent simulations. A parameter study with different feed rod rotation, crystal pull rates and widths of the inductor main slit is carried out to analyse their influence on the evolution …
Magnetic field control of gas-liquid mass transfer in ferrofluids
2020
Abstract Gas-liquid mass transfer plays a key role in a broad range of industrial processes. The magnetic field control over the morphology of the gas-liquid interface and solute transport is an attractive feature if it can be realized efficiently. However, the magnetic properties of typical liquids and gases are rather weak. The experimental investigation is carried out to evaluate the effect of the magnetic field, which is mediated by magnetic nanoparticles, on the gas-liquid mass exchange during the sparging run through a hydrocarbon ferrofluid. The results indicate that the gradient field is especially effective at controlling the gas-liquid contact volume: the foaming of the liquid dur…
The effect of rheological approximations in 3-D numerical simulations of subduction and collision
2018
Abstract Subduction and collision zones evolve differently from one another due to different rheological properties, different amounts of regional isostatic compensation, and the different mechanisms by which forces are applied to the convergent plates. The rheology of mantle and lithosphere is known to have the largest influence on the dynamics of subduction and continental collision. However, previous 3-D geodynamic models of subduction/collision processes have used various rheological approximations, making their results difficult to compare, since there is no clear understanding on the extent of these approximations on the dynamics. Here, we test the effect of rheological approximations…
Development of branching brittle and ductile shear zones: A numerical study
2017
Continental collision zones are usually associated with large-scale strike-slip shear zones. In most cases these shear zones are complex and consist of multiple strands, varying in width, length, and total displacement. Here we present 2-D numerical models to simulate the formation of such shear zones at different depth levels within the crust, under either brittle (frictional/plastic) or ductile conditions. Localization of shear zones is initiated by a material contrast (heterogeneity) of the material parameters. We systematically test the rate of strain-weakening in brittle and in ductile regimes to understand its influence on the development of shear zone networks. Our simulations sugges…
Liquid Crystal Phases in Suspensions of Charged Plate-Like Particles
2012
International audience; Anisotropic interactions in colloidal suspensions have recently emerged as a route for the design of new soft materials. Nonisotropic particles can form nematic, smectic, hexatic, and columnar liquid crystals. Although the formation of these phases is well rationalized when excluded volume is solely at play, the role of electrostatic interactions still remains unclear and even less so when particles present a charge heterogeneity, for example, clays. Here, we use Monte Carlo simulations of concentrated suspensions of charged disk-like particles to reveal the role of Coulomb interactions and charge anisotropy underlying liquid crystal formation and structures. We obse…
Monte Carlo simulations of the solid-liquid transition in hard spheres and colloid-polymer mixtures
2010
Monte Carlo simulations at constant pressure are performed to study coexistence and interfacial properties of the liquid-solid transition in hard spheres and in colloid-polymer mixtures. The latter system is described as a one-component Asakura-Oosawa (AO) model where the polymer's degrees of freedom are incorporated via an attractive part in the effective potential for the colloid-colloid interactions. For the considered AO model, the polymer reservoir packing fraction is eta_p^r=0.1 and the colloid-polymer size ratio is q=sigma_p/\sigma=0.15 (with sigma_p and sigma the diameter of polymers and colloids, respectively). Inhomogeneous solid-liquid systems are prepared by placing the solid fc…
Coupling between bulk- and surface chemistry in suspensions of charged colloids
2013
The ionic composition and pair correlations in fluid phases of realistically salt-free charged colloidal sphere suspensions are calculated in the primitive model. We obtain the number densities of all ionic species in suspension, including low-molecular weight microions, and colloidal macroions with acidic surface groups, from a self-consistent solution of a coupled physicochemical set of nonlinear algebraic equations and non-mean-field liquid integral equations. Here, we study suspensions of colloidal spheres with sulfonate or silanol surface groups, suspended in demineralized water that is saturated with carbon dioxide under standard atmosphere. The only input required for our theoretical…
Acoustic characterization of Silica aerogel clamped plates for perfect absorption purpose
2017
International audience; Silica aerogel has been widely studied as bulk material for its extremely low density and thermal conductivity. Plates or membranes made of this extremely soft materials exhibits interesting properties for sound absorption. A novel signal processing method for the characterization of an acoustic metamaterial made of silica aerogel clamped plates is presented. The acoustic impedance of a silica aerogel clamped plate is derived from the elastic theory for the flexural waves, while the transfer matrix method is used to model reflection and transmission coefficients of a single plate. Experimental results are obtained by using an acoustic impedance tube. The difference b…
Synthesis and solution properties of star-shaped poly(tert-butyl acrylate)
2000
A series of star polymers consisting of poly(tert-butyl acrylate) arms and an ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) microgel core were synthesized using anionic polymerization. The effect of various parameters (precursor length, ratio [[EGDMA]/[Initiator], reaction time, and overall concentrations) on the average number of arms was investigated. Molecular weights were determined using GPC coupled with an online viscometer and MALLS. The exponents for the relation between intrinsic viscosity or radius of gyration and molecular weight, respectively, are extremely low, indicating that the dimensions of the star polymers only slightly increase with the number of arms. After a certain number of …