抄録
The effects of microgravity on the growth processes of colloidal crystals were evaluated using TR-IA sounding rocket. The merit of studying colloidal crystals lies in the in-situ observation of growth dynamics with visible light. Using reflection spectrum method, expansion of interparticle distances under microgravity was confirmed compared with those of normal-gravity experiments. The growth mechanism of colloidal crystals under microgravity was explained as a diffusion-controlled processe, whereas normal-gravity experiments showed an Ostwald-ripening mechanism. The difference of the growth mechanisms between microgravity and normal-gravity is discussed based on the absence of gravitational sedimentation.
