Phys. Rev. E 80, 041704 (2009) [6 pages]Stable smectic phase in suspensions of polydisperse colloidal platelets with identical thicknessReceived 22 May 2009; revised 7 September 2009; published 15 October 2009 We report the nematic and smectic ordering in an aqueous suspension of monolayer α-Zirconium phosphate platelets possessing a high polydispersity in diameter but uniform thickness. We observe an isotropic-nematic transition as the platelet volume fraction increases, followed by the formation of a smectic, an elusive phase that has been rarely seen in discotic liquid crystals. The smectic phase is characterized by x-ray diffraction high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. The phase equilibria in this highly polydisperse suspension are rationalized in terms of a theoretical approach based on density-functional theory. © 2009 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.80.041704
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.80.041704
PACS:
61.30.Eb, 64.70.M−, 81.16.Dn, 82.70.Dd
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