Colloidal dynamics near a particle-covered surface

How the diffusive dynamics of colloidal spheres changes in the vicinity of a particle-coated surface is of importance for industrial challenges such as fouling and sedimentation as well as for fundamental studies into confinement effects. We addressed this question by studying colloidal dynamics in a partially coated surface layer, using video microscopy. Particle mean squared displacement (MSD) functions were measured as a function of a (local) effective volume fraction (EVF), which was varied by making use of gravity settling. Comparison of MSDs at the bare and coated surfaces for EVF of 0.2-0.4 revealed that at the latter surface the motion amplitudes are strongly reduced, accompanied by a sharp transition from diffusive to nearly caged motion. This clearly indicates that the surface-attached particles cannot be taken into account via volume fraction and that their immobility has a distinct effect. For EVF > 0.45, the caging becomes dominated by the suspended particles, making the dynamics at the bare and coated surfaces similar.