Critical Casimir Forces in Colloidal Suspensions
Statistical Mechanics
2007-05-23 v1
Abstract
Some time ago, Fisher and de Gennes pointed out that long-ranged correlations in a fluid close to its critical point Tc cause distinct forces between immersed colloidal particles which can even lead to flocculation [C. R. Acad. Sc. Paris B 287, 207 (1978)]. Here we calculate such forces between pairs of spherical particles as function of both relevant thermodynamic variables, i.e., the reduced temperature t = (T-Tc)/Tc and the field h conjugate to the order parameter. This provides the basis for specific predictions concerning the phase behavior of a suspension of colloidal particles in a near-critical solvent.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0202532,
title = {Critical Casimir Forces in Colloidal Suspensions},
author = {F. Schlesener and A. Hanke and S. Dietrich},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0202532},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
29 pages, 14 figures