mpact of size asymmetry between the constituents of a mixture on the kinetic pathway of phase separation

该项目的主要目标是研究不对称胶体体系的行为。为了达到这个目标，我首先学习了胶体PMMA粒子的合成，并成功地制备出了具有低多分散性的荧光标记的微米级粒子。为了确定所研究体系的静电性质，首先，系统地改进了一种测定胶体颗粒电荷的电泳法。其次，构建了自制的电导率仪，用于检测有机溶剂中的游离离子浓度。最终得到了尺寸不对称的胶体体系，具有明确的物理性质。该体系由两个直径分别为2.3微米和3.1微米的有色粒子组成，浸泡在密度和折射率匹配的溶剂(顺式十氢萘，CHB)中。通过在2.3到3.1大小的颗粒之间改变数量比来制备胶体体系，并使用激光共聚焦显微镜进行观察。从结构因素的角度对结果进行了分析。为了获得高质量的结果，需要对实验程序进行进一步的微调。

The primary goal of the project is to investigate the behavior of asymmetric colloidal system. To reach this goal, first I learned the synthesis of colloidal PMMA particles and successfully could produce fluorescently labeled micro sized particles with low polydispersity. In order to define the electrostatic nature of the studied system, first, I systemically improved an electrophoresis measurement procedure to determine the charge of the colloidal particles. Second, I constructed a self-made conductivity meter to probe the free ion concentration in organic solvents. Eventually, a size asymmetric colloidal system with well-defined physical properties was achieved. The system consists of two colored particles with 2.3 micrometre and 3.1 micrometre in size immersed in density and refractive index matched solvent (cis-decalin, CHB). Colloidal systems were prepared by varying the number ratio between 2.3 and 3.1 sized particles and observed using laser confocal microscopy. The results were analyzed in terms of the structure factor. Further fine adjustment of the experimental procedure is required to reach high quality results.