Development of the colloidal liquid crystallization method.

[뉴스웍스=문병도 기자] The Korea Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Materials Convergence Measurement Institute, the Extreme Measurement Research Team, developed a method for observing the crystallization process in real time by floating a colloidal liquid of millimeter size in the air.

Colloid is a mixture of particles that are evenly distributed among other substances.

The team used an innovative method to evaporate colloidal liquid in the air and observe crystallization in real time using a combination of electrostatic levitation and dispersion devices.

This has the advantage of fundamentally blocking the contact of the levitation colloidal liquid with other objects.

Previous researchers observed the crystallization of colloidal liquids using a container such as a Petri dish.

It was difficult to properly understand the crystallization of the material with this method. This is because it is difficult to measure volume accurately because crystallization occurs where the material comes into contact with the container, or a liquid-like deformation occurs on the surface of the container due to a difference in index. of refraction between the container and the like.

Using the electrostatic levitation device developed by the KRISS research team, the colloidal liquid forms a sphere in the air, and water evaporation occurs uniformly across the entire surface of the spherical liquid, whereby crystallization occurs. very evenly.

Since spherical liquid is easy to measure volume, it is possible to accurately estimate density, a key factor that controls crystallization.

The crystallization process can be observed in real time by using a scattering device that directly illuminates a light source such as a laser or light. The colloidal liquid in the air does not come into contact with any object, so the light source is scattered directly from the colloidal liquid. At this time, the distance and arrangement of the particles can be directly measured by changing the color of the wavelength.

“This technology can be developed with new properties of various properties, such as the high purity separation of organic and inorganic compounds and the production of crystal grains, controlling the crystallization phenomenon by capturing the distribution of colloid particles, nature and shape of the tangle, “said Lee Soo-hyung, a KRISS researcher. “We hope this surface will be useful in many ways, such as paint that doesn’t crack and medications that make absorption in the body much faster.”

“If we extend this achievement to protein crystallization research, it can be used for studies of human protein crystals such as stones and gout,” said Cho Yong-chan, principal investigator at KRISS.