Langmuir, Vol.30, No.24, 7070-7076, 2014
Electric-Field-Induced Phase Separation and Homogenization Dynamics in Colloidal Suspensions of Dichroic Rod-Shaped Pigment Particles
We report a reversible phase separation phenomenon in nonpolar colloidal suspensions of rod-shaped dichroic pigment particles in an electric field. The voltage frequency phase diagram features a variety of phases with different morphologies. Single static particle-rich islands, chains of islands, and dynamic patterns were found in this system. We demonstrate that those patterns exhibit complex relaxation dynamics toward the homogeneous field-free state once the external field is removed.