# title
Long-Time Observation of Near-Critical Spinodal Decomposition of Colloid-Polymer Mixtures in Microgravity

# abstract
We investigate liquid-gas phase separation near the critical point of colloid-polymer mixtures aboard the International Space Station, as part of the BCAT3 and BCAT4 experiments. In this microgravity environment, the higher-density liquid phase does not sink beneath the lower-density gas phase, as it does on the surface of the earth. Instead, we can observe the patterns formed during spinodal decomposition, using time-lapse photography for days to weeks, while previous experiments have been limited to observations of minutes to hours. We give a primer on phase separation and detail our sample preparation procedures. We also describe the specific innovations in our photography procedures made by a number of astronauts on orbit, demonstrating the importance of a manned microgravity laboratory to our investigation. Copyright  2009 by Peter J. Lu.

# publicationOutlet
47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including The New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition

# nameOfConference
47th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including The New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition

# publisher.label
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

# authorList[]
Lu, P., Weitz, D., Chamitoff, G., Chiao, L., Fincke, E., Foale, M., ... Sicker, R.