Hierarchical Dynamics in Glassy Microgel Suspensions
Analysis
Key Takeaways
- •Ultra-low crosslinked microgels act as fragile glass formers.
- •Dynamics are governed solely by effective volume fraction.
- •Anomalous glassy regime with accelerated relaxation times is observed.
- •A time-length scale superposition principle rationalizes relaxation times across different conditions.
- •The superposition principle applies to different microgel systems, suggesting general dynamical behavior.
“The paper identifies an anomalous glassy regime where relaxation times are orders of magnitude faster than predicted, and shows that dynamics are partly accelerated by laser light absorption. The 'time-length scale superposition principle' is a key finding.”