Temperature sensitive microgel suspensions: Colloidal phase behavior and rheology of soft spheres

Rheological properties and the equilibrium colloidal phase behavior of concentrated dispersions of a temperature sensitive microgel were investigated. The temperature sensitive hydrogel particles consist of poly (N-isopropylacrylamid) (PNiPAM) chemically crosslinked with N,N′ methylenbisacrylamid (BIS). With increasing temperature the microgel particles decrease in size (hydrodynamic radius 142 nm at 10 °C and 58 nm at 35 °C) and with it the effective volume fraction, which leads to dramatic changes in rheology—vanishing yield stress and decreasing viscosity and elastic properties. The relative zero-shear viscosity and the plateau modulus at different temperatures superpose to mastercurves when plotted vs the effective volume fraction. The monodisperse hydrogel particles form colloidal crystals and glasses in concentrated solution but at higher effective volume fractions as compared to model hard sphere suspensions. Comparison of the experimental freezing point with soft sphere computer simulations indicate a repulsive interaction potential of the order 1/r12. The frequency independent shear modulus exhibited a power law concentration dependence which also agrees with the soft sphere behavior.