[en] We introduce an elegant method that allows the application of diffusing-wave spectroscopy (DWS) to nonergodic, solidlike samples. The method is based on the idea that light transmitted through a sandwich of two turbid cells can be considered ergodic even though only the second cell is ergodic. If absorption and/or leakage of light take place at the interface between the cells, we establish a so-called 'multiplication rule,' which relates the intensity autocorrelation function of light transmitted through the double-cell sandwich to the autocorrelation functions of individual cells by a simple multiplication. To test the proposed method, we perform a series of DWS experiments using colloidal gels as model nonergodic media. Our experimental data are consistent with the theoretical predictions, allowing quantitative characterization of nonergodic media and demonstrating the validity of the proposed technique

[en] A wealth of structural information from colloid and polymer solutions on a large range of length scales can be obtained using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments. After a general introduction to the field of soft condensed matter, I shall give a few selected examples on how SANS combined with suitable contrast variation schemes can be used to extract information on the size and conformation of polymer coils in solution and in the melt, and on the local structure and flexibility of polymerlike micelles and microemulsions. (author) 8 figs., tabs., 44 refs

[en] ''Complex fluids'' or ''soft condensed matter'' have recently attracted considerable attention both experimentally as well as theoretically. The hypothesis of a water-induced formation of flexible cylindrical micelles and the existence of entanglement networks was largely based on ''low-resolution'' light scattering and rheological measurements and analogies to classical polymer theory. In order to directly confirm this picture and verify the postulated analogy between the structural properties of polymer chains and lecithin reverse micelles we now used a combination of static light scattering and small angle neutron scattering. (author) 2 figs., 3 refs

[en] Amphiphilic molecules spontaneously self-assemble in solution to form a variety of aggregates. Only limited information is available on the kinetics of the structural transitions as well as on the existence of non-equilibrium or metastable states. Aqueous mixtures of lecithin and bile salt are very interesting biological model-systems which exhibit a spontaneous transition from polymer-like mixed micelles to vesicles upon dilution. The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument D22, with its very high neutron flux and the broad range of scattering vectors covered in a single instrumental setting, allowed us for the first time to perform time-resolved scattering experiments in order to study the micelle-to-vesicle transition. The temporal evolution of the aggregate structures were followed and detailed information was obtained even on molecular length-scales. (author)

[en] Complete text of publication follows. Giant worm-like micelles behave essentially as semi-flexible polymers in a good solvent and the scattering function shows all the features of classical polymers. In order to perform an accurate modeling on all length scales we have performed an extensive Monte Carlo simulation study of a Kratky-Porod type model for semi-flexible polymer chains with excluded volume effects. The scattering functions were determined and parameterized, and have been used for fitting the data and excellent agreement was found. Analysis of the simulation results shows that the same scattering functions can be used for PS in a good solvent, and we have therefore used a similar model in a SANS study of semi-dilute solutions of PS. Interpolations of the scattering functions determined by Monte Carlo simulations of many-chain systems have been shown to fit the SANS data at all the measured concentrations in the full measured range of scattering vectors, demonstrating agreement almost down to atomic level. (author)

[en] We have studied the properties of dense colloidal suspensions with a combination of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS). Contrary to single light scattering, DWS provides dynamic information on length scales, from 1 to 100 nm, comparable to SANS. This offers a unique range of accessible length and time scales perfectly suited for the (noninvasive) investigation of highly concentrated systems. By this we obtain valuable information about the structural properties and the short-time diffusion of electrostatically stabilized, but strongly screened, hard-sphere-like colloidal suspensions with volume fractions up to 30%. We furthermore discuss the consequences of local structural ordering on the optical properties, such as optical density and polarization. Quantitative agreement is found when comparing transmission measurements (optical density) with parameter-free numerical calculations based on the structural characterization from SANS

[en] We report on the synthesis of nanocomposites with integrated ellipsoidal silica-coated hematite (SCH) spindle type nanoparticles which can act as crosslinking agents within an elastomeric matrix. Influence of the surface chemistry of the hematite, leading either to dispersed particles or crosslinked particles to the elastomer matrix, was studied via swelling, scattering and microscopy experiments. It appeared that without surface modification the SCH particles aggregate and act as defects whereas the surface modified SCH particles increase the crosslinking density and thus reduce the swelling properties of the nanocomposite in good solvent conditions. For the first time, inorganic SCH particles can be easily dispersed into a polymer network avoiding aggregation and enhancing the properties of the resulting inorganic-organic elastomer nanocomposite (IOEN).

[en] Small-angle neutron scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations combined with an application of concepts from soft matter physics to complex protein mixtures provide new insight into the stability of eye lens protein mixtures. Exploring this colloid-protein analogy we demonstrate that weak attractions between unlike proteins help to maintain lens transparency in an extremely sensitive and nonmonotonic manner. These results not only represent an important step towards a better understanding of protein condensation diseases such as cataract formation, but provide general guidelines for tuning the stability of colloid mixtures, a topic relevant for soft matter physics and industrial applications

[en] Magnetic properties of particles are generally determined from randomly oriented ensembles and the influence of the particle orientation on the magnetic response is neglected. Here, we report on the magnetic characterization of anisotropic spindle-type hematite particles. The easy axis of magnetization is within the basal plane of hematite, which is oriented perpendicular to the spindle axis. Two standard synthesis routes are compared and the effects of silica coating and particle orientation on the magnetic properties are investigated. Depending on the synthesis route we find fundamentally different magnetic behavior compatible with either single domain particles or superparamagnetic sub-units. Furthermore, we show that silica coating reduces the mean blocking temperature to nearly room temperature. The mechanical stress induced by the silica coating appears to reduce the magnetic coupling between the sub-units.

[en] The static structure factor S(q) is measured for a set of deionized latex dispersions with different numbers of ionizable surface groups per particle and similar diameters. For a given volume fraction, the height of the main peak of S(q), which is a direct measure of the spatial ordering of latex particles, does not increase monotonically with the number of ionizable groups. This behaviour cannot be described using the classical renormalization scheme based on the cell model. We analyse our experimental data using a renormalization model based on the jellium approximation, which predicts the weakening of the spatial order for moderate and large particle charges. (letter to the editor)