Formation and evolution of sediment layers in an aggregating colloidal suspension

The coupled aggregation and sedimentation of colloidal particles with short-range attractions are investigated. Nonadsorbing polymer is used to induce depletion interactions between the hard-sphere particles. Gravitational forces, caused by a density mismatch between the particles and the suspending fluid, result in the sedimentation of particles and aggregates, as well as the compaction and rearrangement of the final sediment layer. At low polymer concentrations C-P, or low initial volume fractions phi(o), clusters formed during the period of fast sedimentation are small, and the structure of the final sediment is dense. Conversely, at high C-P, or high phi(o), large clusters form during sedimentation, and the resulting sediment structure is significantly less dense, with large void volumes. The size of the presediment aggregates depends on C-P and phi(o) with a functional form that resembles other thermally activated barrier hopping processes in colloidal systems, such as the delayed sedimentation of colloidal gels. Finally, when the particles are weakly attractive, gravitational stresses are found to induce compaction of the sediment over long periods of time. However, sediments composed of particles that are strongly attractive resist rearrangements and compaction, even when the sediment layers have a relatively large amount of free volume.