"Tunable" Model Systems for Soft Colloids (A02)

• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2002 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5485412

We will investigate the intraparticle ”brush deformation” in complex binary mixtures of (ultra) soft colloids and (non-spherical) particles which on their own can be affected by external shear. We expect synergistic and/or competitive effects which influence the overall flow properties of the mixture. Furthermore, we will focus on ”aging” phenomena in concentrated solutions: Non-equilibrium phases like gels and glasses often show a pronounced long time dependence in their response to external shear, so called ”aging” or ”history dependence”. We will perform a systematic investigation with respect to similarities and differences of (ultra) soft colloidal systems to test the very details of their effective pair potential. Finally, we will investigate the effect of additional ”hard” nanoparticles on flow and elastic properties of (ultra) soft colloids in the concentrated regime. In particular, we want to resolve the microscopic influence of the nanoparticles on the polymeric corona of the (ultra) soft colloidal particle.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 6: Physics of Colloidal Dispersions in External Fields
• Applicant Institution: Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
• Co-Applicant Institution: Forschungszentrum Jülich
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Dieter Richter; Dr. Jörg Stellbrink; Dr. Lutz Willner