Principal Investigator: Arjun G. Yodh, Univ. of Pennsylvania
Project Scientist: Allen
Wilkinson, Glenn Research Center
Project Manager: Susan
Motil, Glenn Research Center
How:
Use low volume fraction suspensions of a large
particle-small particle mixture like ZnS large particles in soap and water,
where soap micelles are the small particles. These assemblies will
be examined microscopically in-situ and for the angular and wavelength
dependence of reflected light. ZnS and water have a large index of refraction
mismatch needed for satisfactory photonic response. Their 4:1 density
ratio makes self assembly impossible in 1-g. Surface templates are used
to induce colloidal crystals of open structures (e.g. BCC) that will collapse
in 1-g due to the weak entropic binding.
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Impact/Benefits:
Photonic materials can act as light guides and
light valves for fiber optic communications in very small volumes.
The understanding of the thermodynamics of entropically
driven self-assembly may have bearing on biological intra-cellular structural
changes.
Low-Volume Fraction Colloidal Assembly
Next
Flight Experiment: Micromechanics of
Magnetorheological Fluids
This experiment is to be flown in the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) aboard the International Space Station.
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