Nanoparticle Diffusion and Aggregation in 2D Smectic Membranes

ORAL

Abstract

We observe directly the diffusion and aggregation of nanoparticles embedded in thin, freely-suspended smectic films using reflected light microscopy in order to better understand the hydrodynamics of inclusions in finite, two-dimensional fluids. The Saffman-Delbr\"{u}ck (SD) model has been used previously to describe the diffusion of micron-sized objects in thin membranes in a variety of experimental systems. Nano-sized Buckyball aggregates embedded in smectic A films are observed to have much faster diffusion rates than predicted by SD theory. These experiments suggest that SD theory breaks down in the limit of nanometer-scale inclusions where molecular diffusion processes are dominate.

*This work was supported by NASA Grant NNX-13AQ81G and NSF MRSEC Grant DMR-0820579.

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Authors

  • Kyle Meienberg

    • University of Colorado

  • Greg Smith

    • University of Colorado

  • Cheol Park

    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
    • University of Colorado

  • Joseph MacLennan

    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado
    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
    • Department of Physics, and the Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Univ of Colorado - Boulder
    • University of Colorado
    • University of Colorado, Boulder

  • Matthew Glaser

    • Univ of Colorado - Boulder
    • University of Colorado

  • Noel Clark

    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado
    • Department of Physics and Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
    • Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder (CO) U.S.A.
    • Department of Physics, and the Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • University of Colorado