Length-scale dependent transport properties of colloidal and protein solutions for prediction of crystal nucleation rates

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 6; no. 17; pp. 134 - 1346
• Main Authors: Kalwarczyk, Tomasz, Sozanski, Krzysztof, Jakiela, Slawomir, Wisniewska, Agnieszka, Kalwarczyk, Ewelina, Kryszczuk, Katarzyna, Hou, Sen, Holyst, Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 07.09.2014
• Subjects: Colloids; Crystals; Fluid dynamics; Law; Mathematical analysis; Nucleation; Proteins; Transport properties
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00647j

We propose a scaling equation describing transport properties (diffusion and viscosity) in the solutions of colloidal particles. We apply the equation to 23 different systems including colloids and proteins differing in size (range of diameters: 4 nm to 1 μm), and volume fractions (10 −3 -0.56). In solutions under study colloids/proteins interact via steric, hydrodynamic, van der Waals and/or electrostatic interactions. We implement contribution of those interactions into the scaling law. Finally we use our scaling law together with the literature values of the barrier for nucleation to predict crystal nucleation rates of hard-sphere like colloids. The resulting crystal nucleation rates agree with existing experimental data. We propose a scaling law describing diffusion and viscosity in the solutions of colloids. We use our scaling law to predict crystal nucleation rates of hard-sphere colloids.