Numerical and experimental studies of the water and ionic mobilities within suspensions of charged anisotropic colloids

We use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance relaxometry (i.e. the frequency variation of the NMR relaxation rates) of quadrupolar nucleus (Na-23) and H-1 Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo NMR to determine the mobility of the counterions and the water molecules within aqueous dispersions of clays. The local ordering of isotropic dilute clay dispersions is investigated by NMR relaxometry. In contrast, the NMR spectra of the quadrupolar nucleus and the anisotropy of the water self-diffusion tensor clearly exhibit the occurrence of nematic ordering in dense aqueous dispersions. Multi-scale numerical models exploiting molecular orbital quantum calculations, Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations, Molecular and Brownian Dynamics are used to interpret the measured water mobility and the ionic quadrupolar relaxation measurements.