![]() The majority of natural and technical systems, however, are composed of non-spherical particles. To date, most experiments involving colloidal suspensions have relied on spherical colloids. ![]() They are popular among scientists studying glass transitions because they feature many of the phenomena that also occur in other glass-forming materials. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Ĭolloidal suspensions are mixtures or fluids that contain solid particles which, at sizes of a micrometer (one millionth of a meter) or more, are bigger than atoms or molecules and therefore well-suited to investigation with optical microscopy. Using a model system involving suspensions of tailor-made ellipsoidal colloids, the researchers uncovered a new state of matter, liquid glass, where individual particles are able to move yet unable to rotate-complex behavior that has not previously been observed in bulk glasses. Research led by professors Andreas Zumbusch (Department of Chemistry) and Matthias Fuchs (Department of Physics), both based at the University of Konstanz, has just added another layer of complexity to the glass conundrum. This strange and disordered state is characteristic of glasses across different systems and scientists are still trying to understand how exactly this metastable state forms. Instead, the molecules are effectively frozen in place before crystallization happens. Typically, when a material transitions from a liquid to a solid state the molecules line up to form a crystal pattern. While it may give the impression, glass is anything but conventionally solid. In chemistry and physics, the term glass itself is a mutable concept: It includes the substance we know as window glass, but it may also refer to a range of other materials with properties that can be explained by reference to glass-like behavior, including, for instance, metals, plastics, proteins, and even biological cells. Contrary to what one might expect, the true nature of glass remains something of a mystery, with scientific inquiry into its chemical and physical properties still underway. While glass is a truly ubiquitous material that we use on a daily basis, it also represents a major scientific conundrum.
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