Study on spatio-temporal structures of exotic colloids

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25610125
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biological physics/Chemical physics/Soft matter physics
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: KIMURA YASUYUKI 九州大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00225070)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ANNAKA Masahiko 九州大学, 大学院理学研究院, 教授 (40282446)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 異方性コロイド / コロイド構造体 / 楕円体粒子 / ネマチックコロイド

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have experimentally studied the structures which anisotropic colloidal particles exhibit in this project.
The structures observed in concentrated two-dimensional colloidal dispersion of ellipsoidal particles with various axial ratio have been analyzed from the aspect of their translational and orientational order. The long-ranged translational order has not been observed in all systems we studied. The short-ranged translational order reduces and the orietational one enhances with increase of the degree of elongation.
In the spherical colloidal system dispersed in nematic liquid crystal, so-called nematic colloids, the interaction between them is anisotropic. We have formed various complex assemblies including dendric ones and open oblique crystal those cannot be realized in conventional colloidal system by manipulating the particles by optical tweezers.

Free Research Field

ソフトマター物理