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      Phase separation dynamics in colloid-polymer mixtures: the effect of interaction range

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          Abstract

          Colloid-polymer mixtures may undergo either fluid-fluid phase separation or gelation. This depends on the depth of the quench (polymer concentration) and polymer-colloid size ratio. We present a real-space study of dynamics in phase separating colloid-polymer mixtures with medium- to long-range attractions (polymer-colloid size ratio q_R=0.45-0.89, with the aim of understanding the mechanism of gelation as the range of the attraction is changed. In contrast to previous studies of short-range attractive systems, where gelation occurs shortly after crossing the equilibrium phase boundary, we find a substantial region of fluid-fluid phase separation. On deeper quenches the system undergoes a continuous crossover to gel formation. We identify two regimes, `classical' phase separation, where single particle relaxation is faster than the dynamics of phase separation, and `viscoelastic' phase separation, where demixing is slowed down appreciably due to slow dynamics in the colloid-rich phase. Particles at the surface of the strands of the network exhibit significantly greater mobility than those buried inside the gel strand which presents a method for coarsening.

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          The physics of a model colloid polymer mixture

          W. Poon (2002)
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            Colloidal Gels: Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Routes

            We attempt a classification of different colloidal gels based on colloid-colloid interactions. We discriminate primarily between non-equilibrium and equilibrium routes to gelation, the former case being slaved to thermodynamic phase separation while the latter is individuated in the framework of competing interactions and of patchy colloids. Emphasis is put on recent numerical simulations of colloidal gelation and their connection to experiments. Finally we underline typical signatures of different gel types, to be looked in more details in experiments.
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              Viscoelastic phase separation

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                18 September 2012
                Article
                1209.3973
                86d247fe-9928-4817-b5b2-d9313dbedebb

                http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/

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                8 pages
                cond-mat.soft

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