Mutual structures of colloidal rods and spheres

Abstract

As much as there is known about the phase behavior in systems of rods and systems of spheres, not much is known about systems in which both particles exist. Such systems, containing both rods and spheres, are experimentally studied by making samples containing 3μm by 0.6-0.7μm silica spherocylinders and silica spheres of diameters of 470nm and 1μm. These samples are imaged using a confocal microscope. Two structures that are characteristic for phases in systems of rods were found to have been influenced by the presence of spheres, also a structure has been found that is not characteristic for systems of either of the separate colloids; the lamellar structure.