Equilibrium cluster formation and gelation
Rodrigo Sanchez, Paul Bartlett
TL;DR
This paper investigates how equilibrium clusters form and grow in colloidal suspensions with competing short-range attraction and long-range repulsion, using microscopy to analyze their structure and growth towards gelation.
Contribution
It provides detailed experimental insights into the size, shape, and local structure of equilibrium clusters in colloids with complex interactions, highlighting their growth dynamics.
Findings
Rapid increase in mean cluster size near gel boundary
Clusters exhibit specific size and structural characteristics
Growth dynamics suggest pathways to gelation in colloidal systems
Abstract
We study the formation and growth of equilibrium clusters in a suspension of weakly-charged colloidal particles and small non-adsorbing polymers. The effective potential is characterised by a short-range attraction and a long-range repulsion. The size, shape and local structure of the clusters are studied using three-dimensional particle microscopy. We observe a rapid growth in the mean cluster size and the average number of nearest neighbours approaching the gel boundary.
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