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Phase behaviour of colloid-polymer mixtures

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Il Nuovo Cimento D

Summary

We review the phase behaviour of mixtures of colloids and non-adsorbing polymers. The exclusion of polymer molecules from overlapping «depletion zones» between two neighbouring colloidal particles results in an unbalanced osmotic pressure pushing the particles together. This depletion potential is separately tunable in range and depth. Theory predicts that the resulting phase behaviour is sensitive to ξ=r g/R, the ratio of the radius of gyration of a polymer molecule, to the radius of the colloid. At large ξ, a stable colloidalliquid phase becomes possible. This has been confirmed by recent experiments. The formation of non-equilibrium «transient gel» states when the size ratio is small (≈0.08) is also introduced briefly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, EH9 3JZ, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    W. C. K. Poon, S. M. Ilett & P. N. Pusey

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  1. W. C. K. Poon
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  2. S. M. Ilett
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  3. P. N. Pusey
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Poon, W.C.K., Ilett, S.M. & Pusey, P.N. Phase behaviour of colloid-polymer mixtures. Il Nuovo Cimento D 16, 1127–1139 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02458793

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02458793

PACS 82.70.Dd

PACS 64.75

PACS 01.30.Cc

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