Entropically driven self-assembly of colloidal crystals on templates in space

These experiments aim to create new colloidal crystalline materials, to study the assembly and thermodynamics of these materials, to measure the optical properties of these materials, and to fix the resulting structures so that they can be brought back and studied on earth. In microgravity, the elimination of particle sedimentation effects creates a purely “thermodynamic” environment for colloidal suspensions wherein particle size, volume fraction, and interparticle interactions are the primary determinants of the assembled structures. We will control the colloidal assembly process using attractive, entropic particle interactions brought about by the depletion effect. By using attractive interactions for colloidal assembly we create conditions for growth that resemble those associated with “conventional” microscopic systems such as atoms and molecules. This approach differs qualitatively from the more common “space-filling” mode of colloidal crystal growth that is driven purely by packing constraints. It is anticipated that at least some of the solidified structures will survive re-entry to earth's gravitational field, and that their optical, magnetic, and electrical properties can then be studied in detail upon return. Research on these substances is also driven by a