Clustering of charged colloidal particles in the microgravity environment of space

We conducted a charge–charge clustering experiment of positively and negatively charged colloidal particles in aqueous media under a microgravity environment at the International Space Station. A special setup was used to mix the colloid particles in microgravity and then these structures were immob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:NPJ microgravity 2023-04, Vol.9 (1), p.33-33, Article 33
Main Authors: Miki, Hiroyuki, Ishigami, Teruyoshi, Yamanaka, Junpei, Okuzono, Tohru, Toyotama, Akiko, Mata, Jitendra, Komazawa, Honoka, Takeda, Yushi, Minami, Madoka, Fujita, Minori, Doi, Maho, Higuchi, Tsunehiko, Takase, Hiroshi, Adachi, Satoshi, Sakashita, Tetsuya, Shimaoka, Taro, Nagai, Masae, Watanabe, Yuki, Fukuyama, Seijiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/923/916
639/301/923/966
Applied Microbiology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotechnology
Classical and Continuum Physics
Colloids
Convection
Drug development
Electrostatic properties
Immunology
Life Sciences
Light microscopy
Microgravity
Multinational space ventures
Polystyrene
Sedimentation
Sedimentation & deposition
Space Exploration and Astronautics
Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics
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Summary:We conducted a charge–charge clustering experiment of positively and negatively charged colloidal particles in aqueous media under a microgravity environment at the International Space Station. A special setup was used to mix the colloid particles in microgravity and then these structures were immobilized in gel cured using ultraviolet (UV) light. The samples returned to the ground were observed by optical microscopy. The space sample of polystyrene particles with a specific gravity ρ (=1.05) close to the medium had an average association number of ~50% larger than the ground control and better structural symmetry. The effect of electrostatic interactions on the clustering was also confirmed for titania particles ( ρ ~ 3), whose association structures were only possible in the microgravity environment without any sedimentation they generally suffer on the ground. This study suggests that even slight sedimentation and convection on the ground significantly affect the structure formation of colloids. Knowledge from this study will help us to develop a model which will be used to design photonic materials and better drugs.
ISSN:2373-8065
2373-8065
DOI:10.1038/s41526-023-00280-5