Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 1: Colloids and Complex Liquids I (joint session CPP, BP, DY)

CPP 1.10: Talk

Monday, March 16, 2015, 12:00–12:15, C 130

Effects of shear and walls on the diffusion of colloids in microchannels — •somnath ghosh, frieder mugele, and michel duits — Physics of Complex Fluids group, MESA+ institute, University of Twente PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

Colloidal suspensions flowing through micro-channels were studied for the effects of both shear flow and the proximity of walls on the particles* self-diffusion. Use of hydrostatic pressure to pump micron-sized silica spheres dispersed in water-glycerol through poly (dimethylsiloxane) channels with a cross section of 30x24 micron, allowed variation of the Péclet number(Pé) from 0.01 to 50. To obtain diffusion coefficients, image-time series from a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope were analysed with a method that, after finding the particle trajectories, subtracts the instantaneous convective displacements and subsequently measures the slopes of the Mean Squared Displacement in the flow (x) and shear (y) directions. The thus obtained Dx and Dy, which should be equal to the free diffusion coefficient (regardless of shear) in the dilute limit, both increase strongly with Péclet number (for Pé>10) in a concentrated suspension. This effect of shear-induced collisions is counteracted by the contribution of walls, which cause a strong local reduction in Dx and Dy.