Mechanism of Reversible Thixotropic Transformation in Concentrated Suspensions of Monodisperse Spherical Silica Particles: Analysis in Terms of Colloidal Crystal Formation and Growth

The mechanism of thixotropic transformation of concentrated suspension of monodisperse spherical silica particles into gel made of blocks with regular structure was considered in terms of colloidal crystal formation and the Alder–Hoover model of phase transition. The kinetics of linear growth of colloidal crystals as structural blocks was experimentally studied. This process was shown to have the activation nature determined by the diffusion of structural units at the interface and can be described in terms of Frenkel's kinetic theory of liquids.