Effects of zero van der Waals and zero electrostatic forces on droplet sedimentation

The present investigation provides a confirmation of the dependence of droplet sedimentation on particle concentration. It is shown that it is possible to determine the maximum particle concentration which can remain stable on a given liquid from droplet sedimentation experiments. Droplet sedimentation can be reduced but not totally eliminated by the addition of appropriate amounts of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to reduce the van der Waals forces to zero. It was found that, at 12% DMSO, a maximum particle concentration of 6.3 x 10 to the 8th cells/ml of glutaraldehyde-fixed human erythrocytes suspended in physiological saline can remain stable on a D2O cushion.