Columnar and lamellar phases in attractive colloidal systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates the equilibrium phases of attractive colloidal systems, revealing tubular and lamellar structures through simulations and thermodynamics, which are crucial for material design but challenging to observe experimentally.

Contribution

It provides a detailed phase diagram of colloidal systems with DLVO interactions, identifying new stable phases and discussing their experimental observability.

Findings

Identification of tubular and lamellar phases at low volume fractions

Use of molecular dynamics and thermodynamics to map phase diagram

Discussion on experimental challenges due to relaxation times and defects

Abstract

In colloidal suspensions, the competition between attractive and repulsive interactions gives rise to a rich and complex phenomenology. Here, we study the equilibrium phase diagram of a model system using a DLVO interaction potential by means of molecular dynamics simulations and a thermodynamical approach. As a result, we find tubular and lamellar phases at low volume fraction. Such phases, extremely relevant for designing new materials, may be not easily observed in the experiments because of the long relaxation times and the presence of defects.