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Generalized Phase Behavior of Cluster Formation in Colloidal Dispersions with Competing Interactions

Published

Author(s)

P. Douglas Godfrin, Nestor E. Valadez-Perez, Ramon Castaneda-Priego, Norman J. Wagner, Yun Liu

Abstract

Colloidal liquids with short range attraction and long range repulsion, such as proposed for some protein solutions, have been found to exhibit novel states consisting of equilibrium particle clusters. Monte Carlo simulations are performed for two physically meaningful interparticle potentials across a broad range of interaction parameters, temperatures and volume fractions to locate the conditions where clustered states are found. A corresponding states phase behavior is identified when normalized by the critical point of an appropriately selected reference attractive fluid. Clustered fluid states and cluster percolated states are found exclusively within the two phase region of the state diagram for a reference attractive fluid, confirming the underlying intrinsic relation between clustered states and bulk phase separation. Clustered and cluster percolated states consistently exhibit an intermediate range order peak in their structure factors with a magnitude above 2.7, leading to a semi-empirical rule for identifying clustered fluids in scattering experiments.
Citation
Soft Matter
Volume
10

Keywords

Cluster, competing interaction, cluster

Citation

Godfrin, P. , Valadez-Perez, N. , Castaneda-Priego, R. , Wagner, N. and Liu, Y. (2014), Generalized Phase Behavior of Cluster Formation in Colloidal Dispersions with Competing Interactions, Soft Matter, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=915410 (Accessed November 8, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created July 27, 2014, Updated October 12, 2021