Isotropic, nematic, and lamellar phases in colloidal suspensions of nanosheets.

ABSTRACT: The phase diagram of colloidal suspensions of electrically charged nanosheets, such as clays, despite their many industrial uses, is not yet understood either experimentally or theoretically. When the nanosheet diameter is very large (∼100 nm to 1 µm), it is quite challenging to distinguish the lamellar liquid-crystalline phase from a nematic phase with strong stacking local order, often called "columnar" nematic. We show here that newly upgraded small-angle X-ray scattering beamlines at synchrotron radiation facilities provide high-resolution measurements which allow us to identify both phases unambiguously, provided that single domains can be obtained. We investigated dilute aqueous suspensions of synthetic Sb₃P₂O₁₄^3- nanosheets that self-organ

SUBMITTER: Davidson P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6042086 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature