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Non-equilibrium behavior of sticky colloidal particles: beads, clusters and gels

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Abstract.

To understand the non-equilibrium behavior of colloidal particles with short-range attraction, we studied salt-induced aggregation of lysozyme. Optical microscopy revealed four regimes: bicontinuous texture, ‘beads’, large aggregates, and transient gelation. The interaction of a metastable liquid-liquid binodal and an ergodic to non-ergodic transition boundary inside the equilibrium crystallization region can explain our findings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics, The University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Scotland, UK

    H. Sedgwick, K. Kroy, A. Salonen, M. B. Robertson, S. U. Egelhaaf & W. C.K. Poon

  2. Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Glienicker Str. 100, 14109, Berlin, Germany

    K. Kroy

Authors
  1. H. Sedgwick
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  2. K. Kroy
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  3. A. Salonen
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  4. M. B. Robertson
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  5. S. U. Egelhaaf
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  6. W. C.K. Poon
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Correspondence to W. C.K. Poon.

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Sedgwick, H., Kroy, K., Salonen, A. et al. Non-equilibrium behavior of sticky colloidal particles: beads, clusters and gels. Eur. Phys. J. E 16, 77–80 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2005-00009-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/e2005-00009-x

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