Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
One-dimensional cluster growth and branching gels in colloidal systems with short-range depletion attraction and
F Sciortino1, P Tartaglia, E Zaccarelli
1Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM-CRS-SOFT, Università di Roma La Sapienza, P. le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy.
Abstract:
We report extensive numerical simulations of a simple model for charged colloidal particles in suspension with small nonadsorbing polymers. The chosen effective one-component interaction potential is composed of a short-range attractive part complemented by a Yukawa repulsive tail. We focus on the case where the screening length is comparable to the particle radius. Under these conditions, at low temperature, particles locally cluster into quasi one-dimensional aggregates which, via a branching mechanism, form a macroscopic percolating gel structure. We discuss gel formation and contrast it with the case of longer screening lengths, for which previous studies have shown that arrest is driven by the approach to a Yukawa glass of spherical clusters. We compare our results with recent experimental work on charged colloidal suspensions (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2005, 94, 208301).
Related Concept Videos
Two-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis
The first dimension separation uses the isoelectric focusing or IEF technique performed on immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips that separate proteins according to their isoelectric points.
Biological samples, such as cells...
Colloids and Suspensions
Colloids
Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
Van der Waals Interactions
Intermolecular Forces in Solutions
When the strengths of the intermolecular forces of attraction between solute and solvent species in a solution are no different than those present in the separated components, the solution is formed with no accompanying energy change. Such a solution is called an ideal solution. A mixture of ideal gases (or gases such as helium and argon,...

