Short-time mobility of spherical particles in concentrated aqueous dispersions determined by diffusing wave spectroscopy

Summary The diffusion of optically dense, charge stabilized, polystyrene latex spheres of 500 nm radius in water at 25°C was determined by diffusing wave spectroscopy in the backscattering mode. The diffusion coefficient of the latex spheres had a value of 4.8×10^–13 m² s^–1 at infinite dilution and monotonically decreased as the number density of latex spheres increased. The diffusion coefficient dropped by a factor of 3 at 38 volume % latex and a factor of 20 at 59 volume % latex. Comparison was made to diffusion of sterically stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) latex in refractive index matched mixed organic fluids as determined by dynamic light scattering. The concentration dependence determined by diffusing wave spectroscopy matched closely to the short-time diffusion determined by dynamic scattering and not to the long-time diffusion. Although the difference in repulsive potential between the charge and the sterically stabilized lattices must be large, it has a surprisingly small effect on the translational diffusion of the latex over distances small compared to the intersphere distance.