Point response of a 2D packing of soft colloidal spheres near the jamming transition.

ORAL

Abstract

We have created a 2D jammed packing by confining a bidisperse mixture of thermoresponsive NIPA microgel spheres between two glass slides with a thickness of roughly the larger sphere diameter. The packing is subjected to a point compression created by local heating with optical tweezers. We use particle tracking microscopy to characterize the response as a function of particle volume fraction both above and below the jamming transition.

*This work was support by MRSEC grant DMR-0520020 and NSF grant DMR-0505048.

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Authors

  • Peter Yunker

    • University of Pennsylvania

  • Daniel T. N. Chen

    • University of Pennsylvania

  • Zexin Zhang

    • University of Pennsylvania

  • Arjun G. Yodh

    • University of Pennsylvania
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania