Light scattering study of the diffusion of interacting particles

Abstract

The diffusion coefficient of a water-in-oil microemulsion has been measured as a function of the concentration of the suspended particles using photon correlation techniques. The data have been analysed using an extension of the thermo-hydrodynamic theory of G. K. Batchelor to the case of a potential of mean force between particles which consists of a hard-core repulsion and an attractive part. The parameters for this potential are consistent with those obtained from the osmotic compressibility as determined by static light scattering.