From concrete and paint to ketchup and orange juice, suspensions—mixtures where solid particles are dispersed in a liquid—are everywhere in our daily lives and industrial processes. But when particle concentrations in these mixtures are high, their behavior can become surprising. Under sudden force, some suspensions behave more like solids than liquids, thickening dramatically in a phenomenon known as shear thickening.
This counterintuitive response is caused by how the suspended particles interact when the fluid is stressed. As the mixture is deformed, particles must rearrange. Ideally, they roll past one another with minimal resistance. But when rolling becomes impossible, often due to particles jamming together, they are forced to slide—an interaction that requires significantly more force. The result is a rapid increase in viscosity.
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To better understand and control how these microscopic interactions shape the overall flow behavior of suspensions, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a novel method to precisely measure the frictional forces between individual particles. Led by Lucio Isa, Professor of Interfaces and Soft Matter, the research was recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The team used an atomic force microscope to investigate friction between particles just 12 micrometers in diameter. Doctoral student Simon Scherrer designed a miniature holder capable of gripping a single spherical particle. With this setup, the researchers simulated the motion of one particle over another with identical surface characteristics, allowing them to measure the extremely small forces involved in both rolling and sliding.
Developing the tiny particle holder was no easy task. “I must have gone through 50 designs before I found one that worked,” Scherrer noted.
The researchers examined different particle surfaces to understand how their texture influenced flow behavior. Smooth or slippery particles simply slid over one another, even under pressure, resulting in minimal resistance. In contrast, rough or slightly adhesive particles behaved more like interlocking gears, rolling with significantly less friction. When particles were forced to slide instead of roll, the required force increased sharply—explaining the sudden thickening observed in dense suspensions.
From these experiments, the team was able to calculate the rolling and sliding friction coefficients for various particle types. These values can be fed into computer simulations to accurately model suspensions and optimize their flow behavior.
This insight is valuable for a range of industries. For instance, in microelectronics, conductive suspensions are used as solder pastes to attach components to circuit boards. These pastes are pushed through narrow nozzles and can unexpectedly thicken and clog under high pressure. Understanding particle-level interactions could prevent such issues and improve manufacturing efficiency.
“In order to prevent problems like clogging and to design better suspensions, we need a detailed understanding of how particles behave at the microscale and what forces are at play,” said Isa.
The research offers a new way to decode the hidden physics behind common yet complex materials, potentially improving the performance of suspensions in everything from construction materials to consumer products.
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