Aspect-ratio-dependent phase transitions and concentration fluctuations in aqueous colloidal dispersions of charged platelike particles

Yamaguchi, Daisuke; Miyamoto, Nobuyoshi*; Fujita, Takako*; Nakato, Teruyuki*; Koizumi, Satoshi; Ota, Noboru*; Yagi, Naoto*; Hashimoto, Takeji

Phase transition of aqueous colloidal dispersions of charged plate-like particles of niobate nanosheets were investigated as a function of the aspect ratio () and particle volume concentration () by small-angle neutron scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering. The results elucidated the following three pieces of evidence: (1) the macroscopic phase separation of the dispersions into an isotropic phase and a liquid crystalline phase (LC) under the condition of (a) varying at a constant = 0.01, and of (b) varying (0.01 0.025) at a constant = 2.510. (2) the -induced phase transition of the LC phase from a nematic phase to a highly periodic layered phase upon increasing r under the condition (a). (3) the LC phase having remarkable concentration fluctuations of the particles which are totally unexpected for the conventional lyotropic molecular LC but which are anticipated to be general for the plate-like colloidal particles.