Colloidal systems with a short-range attraction and long-range repulsion: Phase diagrams, structures, and dynamics

Area of Science:

• Colloid and Surface Science
• Soft Matter Physics
• Computational Chemistry

Background:

• Colloidal systems with short-range attraction and long-range repulsion (SALR) display complex phase behavior beyond traditional hard sphere models.
• The interplay between attractive and repulsive forces in SALR systems leads to frustrated phase separation and the emergence of intermediate-range order (IRO) structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the rich phase behavior of SALR colloidal systems.
• To explore the formation of intermediate-range order (IRO) structures and their relationship with clustered fluid states.
• To discuss the influence of SALR potentials on cluster morphology and dynamic properties.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of interparticle structure factor to identify IRO peaks.
• Investigation of cluster morphology and dynamics under SALR potentials.
• Review of experimental, simulation, and theoretical studies on SALR systems.

Main Results:

• SALR systems exhibit novel phases like clustered fluid, cluster percolated fluid, Wigner glass, and cluster glass.
• The IRO peak in the structure factor is a hallmark of SALR systems and is linked to specific IRO structures and clustered fluid states.
• SALR potentials significantly influence cluster morphology and dynamic properties.

Conclusions:

• Further quantitative comparisons between experiments and theories/simulations are needed for a comprehensive understanding of SALR systems.
• The vast parameter space of SALR systems offers potential for exploring undiscovered phenomena.
• Understanding SALR interactions is crucial for predicting protein behavior in concentrated or crowded environments.