Rolling particles make suspensions more fluid

First measurement of the rolling friction of tiny, micrometre-sized particles

14-Apr-2025 - Lacquers, paint, concrete—and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are widespread in industry and everyday life. By a suspension, materials scientists mean a liquid in which tiny, insoluble solid particles are evenly distributed. If the concentration of particles in such a mixture is very ...

It all comes down to roughness

How the surface characteristics of microspheres affect rapid increases in the viscosity of suspensions

04-May-2018 - Lucio Isa and his team of researchers have explained how the surface characteristics of microspheres affect rapid increases in the viscosity of suspensions, thus laying the groundwork for applications such as smoothly flowing cement. The internet is full of videos of people having fun running ...

Liquid shock absorbers

10-Nov-2017 - Remarkable liquid materials called colloids stiffen under impact. Researchers funded by the SNSF have studied the effect of powerful impacts such as those produced by firearms or micrometeorites. At first glance, colloids resemble homogeneous liquids such as milk or blood plasma. But in fact ...