Fractionation of colloidal particles

摘要

The invention concerns a method of fractionating colloidal particles wherein a well-mixed suspension (5) of the colloidal particles and a suspending fluid is contained in a sealed receptacle (4) which is rotated slowly in a substantially vertical plane sufficiently long enough for formation of an ordered phase. When rotation is stopped the ordered phase settles and can be separated from the disordered phase. The method is applicable to colloidal particles with a maximum dimension of 10 microns and a density sufficiently different from that of the suspending fluid (eg at least 0.01 g/cm difference). The concentration of particles required for an ordered phase is dependent upon many factors eg colloid shape, colloid dimensions and interparticle interaction.