Physicists from the University of Utrecht and the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw have observed — for the first time experimentally — the Brazil nut effect in a mixture of charged colloidal particles. Until now, it was thought that an influx of external energy was required to create t
his effect — but the researchers were able to confirm that the process can occur spontaneously. The findings, published in, could find applications in a wide range of fields, from geology to soft matter physics.
This unusual effect contradicts the intuition that heavier objects should sink to the bottom due to gravity and inertia force. This is the case with the phenomenon of sedimentation, common in nature, a process involving the sinking of solid particles dispersed in a liquid, under the influence of gravity or inertia forces. Sedimentation plays a role in processes such as the formation of sedimentary rocks, and is also used to purify water and wastewater or isolate cells from blood.
“Each particle is positively charged. Heavier but larger particles have a greater charge, so they repel each other more strongly, making them move upward more easily than smaller but lighter particles,” Jeffrey Everts explains.
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