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Col-pol Gel

Questions:

1. What are the properties of the gel?
2. What are the internal properties of the clusters?
3. What are the properties of the cluster "network"?
4. What is the nature of the crystallinity?

Experiments:

1.      Understand the large-scale structure which develops - LAS

2.      See how particles move within clusters - DLS higher than nearest-neighbor peak

3.        Look for glassy dynamics and cluster size distribution - LAD near cluster peak

4.        See how much of the sample occupies each phase - DLS, LAS

5.        Aging - LAS, HAS, SLS on peaks, some LAD

6.        Find out if there is crystalline order - HAS, SLS, images

 Col-pol critical

Questions:

1. What is the nature of the phase separation?
2. What is the nature of each individual phase?

Experiments:

1.      Watch the phase separation occur - LAS

2.      After phase separation, watch the dynamics of the phases - LAD, DLS

3.      Look at how large the phase regions are - LAS

4.      Understand the crystals - HAS, LAS, SLS, images

Col-pol crystal

Questions:

1. How do crystal nucleation and growth take place?
2. What is the morphology of the crystals?

Experiments:

1.      Watch crystal formation - LAS

2.      Look at crystal structure - HAS, SLS

3.      Crystal size - images, LAS, LAD

4.      Look for dynamics within the crystals - DLS above nearest-neighbor peak

Binaries

Questions:

1. What is the mechanism for binary crystal nucleation and growth?
2. What is the morphology of the crystals?

Experiments:

1.      Watch crystal formation, compare different samples - LAS, HAS, SLS on peaks

2.      Look at crystal structure - HAS, SLS

3.      Crystal size - Images, LAS, LAD

4.      Look for dynamics within the crystals - DLS near peak, near minima of particle form factors

5.      See what uncrystallized particles do - DLS near particle sizes

Glass

Questions:

1. What is the nature of the glass?
2. What is the nature of the crystals?

Experiments:

1.      Look at dynamics of the glass - LAD, DLS

2.      Look at structure (heterogeneities) of the glass - LAS

3.      Examine crystals - HAS, images, DLS near crystal peaks

Polystyrene, silica gels

Questions:

1.      What is the gelation process?

2.      What is the nature of the gels?

3.      What is the aging process?

Experiments:

1.      Watch the gelation - SLS, LAS, small-angle DLS

2.      Measure the moduli of the gels, compare - DLS

3.      Look at the aging process - LAD with periodic LAS, SLS, DLS, images

 

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