Study the dynamic behavior of the colloidal particles self-assembling at the solid-liquid interface on the SJ-10 satellite

The colloidal self-assembly driven by micro-flow an un-equilibrium process. The thermal motion of the colloidal particles in the colloidal system is suppressed due to the directional micro-flow that often lead to the macroscopic ordered structure. However, the particles significantly sedimentation under gravity, resulting in uneven concentration of the colloidal system, and phase behavior of colloidal systems is closely related to the concentration. Therefore, it is difficult to describe the correlation between the phase transition and the local structure accurately under the gravity. The sedimentation of the colloidal particles will disappear under the microgravity, and the system can provide accurate local structural information. In microgravity, the buoyancy convection was suppressed seriously, and there is no hydrostatic pressure, no sedimentation, which provided favorable conditions for in-situ observation of the colloidal self-assembly. "Colloidal ordered assembly and new materials research" is one of the 19 science projects which will be carried out on the SJ-10 satellite, and the scientific experiments will be completed in the colloidal material box. It will be first time to deposit ordered colloidal crystal and study the non-equilibrium self-assembly mechanism in space.