Formation of stable aggregates by fluid-assembled solid bridges
Abstract
When a colloidal suspension is dried, capillary pressure may overwhelm repulsive electrostatic forces, assembling aggregates that are out of thermal equilibrium. This poorly understood process confers cohesive strength to many geological and industrial materials. Here we observe evaporation-driven aggregation of natural and synthesized particulates, probe their stability under rewetting, and measure bonding strength using an atomic force microscope. Cohesion arises at a common length scale (∼5 μm), where interparticle attractive forces exceed particle weight. In polydisperse mixtures, smaller particles condense within shrinking capillary bridges to build stabilizing “solid bridges” among larger grains. This dynamic repeats across scales, forming remarkably strong, hierarchical clusters, whose cohesion derives from grain size rather than mineralogy. These results may help toward understanding the strength and erodibility of natural soils, and other polydisperse particulates that experience transient hydrodynamic forces.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 04, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1913855117
Entities
People
- Ali Seiphoori
- Douglas J. Jerolmack
- Paulo E Arratia
- Xiao-guang Ma
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- University of Pennsylvania