An experimental study of the jamming dynamics in suspensions of soft colloidal particles

Abstract

Soft materials such as colloidal particles and microgels are often used as model systems to study the phase behavior and dynamics of complex materials. A colloidal suspension can show a variety of phases depending on temperature, effective volume fraction and nature of interparticle electrostatic interactions. Suspensions of soft colloidal particles can show a continuous buildup of structure in a physical aging process that arises due to a spontaneous and gradual evolution of the interparticle electrostatic interaction. Soft colloidal particles can be synthesized with tunable interaction potentials and show very interesting packing behaviors. The effects of particle softness on interparticle interactions and phase behavior have been the focus of extensive structural studies. Dense aqueous suspensions of soft colloidal particles are often used as model systems to study glass transition dynamics. In this thesis, we investigate the slowing down dynamics of soft colloidal suspensions near their jamming transitions using different experimental techniques such as dynamic light scattering, rheology, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy, etc