Journal Article

PreJuSER-3902

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Direct observation of hydrodynamic instabilities in a driven non-uniform colloidal dispersion

Wysocki, A.FZJ* ; Royall, C. P.FZJ* ; Winkler, R. G.FZJ* ; Gompper, G.FZJ* ; Tanaka, H.FZJ* ; van Blaaderen, A.FZJ* ; Löwen, H.FZJ*

2009
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Cambridge

This record in other databases:    

Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1039/b821250c

Abstract: A Rayleigh - Taylor-like instability of a dense colloidal layer under gravity in a capillary of microfluidic dimensions is considered. We access all relevant lengthscales with particle-level microscopy and computer simulations which incorporate long-range hydrodynamic interactions between the particles. By tuning the gravitational driving force, we reveal a mechanism whose growth is connected to the fluctuations of specific wavelengths, non-linear pattern formation and subsequent diffusion-dominated relaxation. Our linear stability theory captures the initial regime and thus predicts mixing conditions, with important implications for fields ranging from biology to nanotechnology.

Keyword(s): J

Note: We acknowledge ZIM for computing time. A. W. thanks E. W. Laedke and G. Lehmann for help. We acknowledge A. A. Louis and J. T. Padding for discussions. The authors are grateful to Didi Derks for a kind gift ofPMMAcolloids. A. W., R. G. W., G. G., H. L. and A. v. B. thank the DFG/ FOM for support in particular via SFB TR6 ( projects A3, A4 and D3). C. P. R. acknowledges the Royal Society for Funding. H. T. acknowledges a grant- in- aid from MEXT.

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Theorie der Weichen Materie und Biophysik (IFF-2)
2. Jülich Aachen Research Alliance - High-Performance Computing (JARA-HPC)

Research Program(s):

1. Kondensierte Materie (P54)

Appears in the scientific report 2009

---