Colloidal Crystallization in Microgravity

Kinetic study on the colloidal crystallization of single component and mixture of different sizes or densities of spheres was made in the exhaustively deionized suspensions and in microgravity, and compared with the results in normal gravity. Colloidal crystallization rates were retarded in microgravity for single component of spheres, whereas rates of alloy crystallization were enhanced substantially in microgravity. The rotational diffusion coefficients of colloids and the formation reaction rates of colloidal silica spheres were also studied in microgravity.