Structural forces in soft matter systems

Abstract

Oscillating structural forces arise when nanoscale colloids are confined at high concentration between two approaching surfaces. As layers of colloid are squeezed out, changes in osmotic pressure cause alternating regions of repulsion and attraction. Here, we provide direct measurements of such oscillatory structural forces between the soft interfaces of two emulsion droplets. Quantitative comparison indicates that the deformable nature of droplets allows them to act as far more sensitive probes than solid spheres. In addition, the responsive nature of soft surfaces can give rise to unexpected behaviors not encountered in rigid systems including reversible aggregation/flocculation for emulsi..