Depolarized light scattering study of equilibrium sedimentation profiles of colloidal dispersions

Summary Equilibrium sedimentation profiles of concentrated suspensions of charged optically anisotropic colloids are accurately determined by performing depolarized light scattering measurements. From the data we derive the osmotic pressure πvs. the particle volume fraction Φ. The π(Φ) values obtained with strongly screened colloids are in excellent agreement with the predicted hard-sphere equation of state. The data suggest that, besides gravitation, there is an additional force acting on the particles, probably due to the build-up of an electrostatic sedimentation potential. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.