Inorganic layered crystals exemplified by clay minerals can be exfoliated in solvents to form colloidal dispersions of extremely thin inorganic layers that are called nanosheets. The obtained “nanosheet colloids” form lyotropic liquid crystals because of the highly anisotropic shape of the nanosheets. This system is a rare example of liquid crystals consisting of inorganic crystalline mesogens....

A new, efficient method for the characterization of magnetic colloids based on the Faraday effect is proposed. According to the main principles of this technique, it is possible to detect the stray magnetic field of the colloidal particles induced inside the magnetooptical layer. The magnetic properties of individual particles can be determined providing measurements in a wide range of magnetic...

Trends and past achievements in the field of food colloids are reviewed. Specific mention is made of advances in knowledge and understanding in the areas of (i) structure and rheology of protein gels, (ii) properties of adsorbed protein layers, (iii) functionality derived from protein-polysaccharide interactions, and (iv) oral processing of food colloids. Amongst ongoing experimental developmen...

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 e...

We present a mechanism for the stabilization of colloids in liquid mixtures without use of surfactants or polymers. When a suitable salt is added to a solvent mixture, the coupling of the colloid's surface chemistry and the preferential solvation of ions leads to a repulsive force between colloids that can overcome van der Waals attraction. This repulsive force is substantial in a large range o...

Silver colloids and silver island films as fluorescence enhancement systems are the subject of this paper. Enhancement of fluorescence of molecules placed near metallic nanoparticles is a result of resonance interaction of exciting and emitted lights with surface plasmons. Two models explaining this phenomenon are presented. Processes of silver colloids and silver island films forming are descr...

A novel synthetic route to polymer-coated ferromagnetic colloids of metallic cobalt has been developed. Well-defined end-functional polystyrenes were synthesized using controlled radical polymerization and used as surfactants in the thermolysis of dicobaltoctacarbonyl to afford uniform ferromagnetic nanoparticles. The presence of the polymer shell enabled prolonged colloidal stability of disper...