Competition between glass transition and liquid-gas separation in attracting colloids

TL;DR

This paper uses simulations to explore how attractive interactions in colloids lead to gelation, showing that glass arrest prevents liquid-gas separation and influences system dynamics.

Contribution

It reveals the competition between glass transition and liquid-gas separation in colloids, highlighting the dominant role of glass arrest in gel formation.

Findings

Glass arrest prevents liquid-gas separation at high attraction strengths.

System dynamics are primarily governed by the glass transition.

Vapor phase facilitates relaxation even when the dense phase is non-ergodic.

Abstract

We present simulation results addressing the phenomena of colloidal gelation induced by attractive interactions. The liquid-gas transition is prevented by the glass arrest at high enough attraction strength, resulting in a colloidal gel. The dynamics of the system is controlled by the glass, with little effect of the liquid-gas transition. When the system separates in a liquid and vapor phases, even if the denser phase enters the non-ergodic region, the vapor phase enables the structural relaxation of the system as a whole.