Collodial Craters

Description

2019 Honorable Mention, Northwestern Scientific Images Contest. My research involves analyzing thestresspatterns that form in a drying drop of small particles suspended within a medium, which is called a colloidal system. In our everyday lives, these systems include milk, blood, and paint. Using a microscope, a dried drop of 830nm silica spheres 1% of its total volume is captured. Like drops of smaller particle sizes, there is a ring of accumulated silica spheres that forms on the perimeter, which has been documented as the coffee ring effect. However, unlike the other drops, there are no cracks that pass through the center, as the larger particles instead clump around anything they may find, even themselves.

Abstract

This image originally appeared as part of Northwestern Scientific Images Contest. The contest and subsequent exhibitions are organized by Science in Society, the University's research center for science education and public engagement. Further information and opportunities to participate are available on their website.

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