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Australian Journal of Chemistry Australian Journal of Chemistry Society
An international journal for chemical science
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Analyzing the Compaction of High-Porosity Microscopic Agglomerates

Lars-Oliver Heim A C , Hans-Jürgen Butt A , Rainer Schräpler B and Jürgen Blum B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Polymerphysics, 55128 Mainz, Germany.

B Technical University of Braunschweig, Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.

C Corresponding author. Email: heim@mpip-mainz.mpg.de

Australian Journal of Chemistry 58(9) 671-673 https://doi.org/10.1071/CH05125
Submitted: 25 May 2005  Accepted: 14 July 2004   Published: 21 September 2005

Abstract

Highly porous agglomerates of silica microspheres (1.5 µm diameter) with a porosity of 0.85, formed by random ballistic hit-and-stick deposition, were deformed inside a scanning electron microscope using the cantilever of an atomic force microscope. The applied force and structural deformations with single particle resolution could be obtained simultaneously. First results indicate that whole blocks of many particles move collectively upon compression. Within these blocks the relative positions of the particles remain fixed. This results in a discontinuous force–compression curve.


Acknowledgments

Financial support from German Research Foundation (DFG) within the projects BU7011/19-4 and HE 4567/1-1 is gratefully acknowledged. The nanomanipulator was build under supervision of Michael Wilms.


References


[1]   J. Blum, in Astrophysics of Dust (Eds A. Witt, G. Clayton, B. Draine) 2004, pp. 369–391.

[2]   L.-O. Heim, J. Blum, M. Preuss, H.-J. Butt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 1999, 83,  3328.
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