Advanced Colloids Experiment with Temperature Control - R [Ellipsoid]

The objective of the ACE-TR (Ellipsoid) experiment was to image and document the self-assembly of complex 3D structures formed from small elliptical colloidal particles suspended in a fluid. Temperature gradients were varied with the objective to explore the effect of thermophoresis on colloidal crystallization. The goal was to crystallize a metastable colloidal liquid to study how the orientation and periodicity in particle arrangement evolves in different regions of the phase diagram of elliptical colloidal particles. The objective was to understand the effects of gravity on colloidal self-assembly, test predictions of current theories for soft materials, and develop novel techniques that can be applied to combine materials with different densities in additive manufacturing. The expected outcome has the potential to make novel colloidal materials in a Low-Earth orbit and return them to Earth.