Exploring the dynamics of phase separation in colloid–polymer mixtures with long range attraction

Abstract

We have studied the kinetics of phase separation and gel formation in a low-dispersity colloid – non-adsorbing polymer system with long range attraction using small-angle light scattering. This system exhibits two-phase and three-phase coexistence of gas, liquid and crystal phases when the strength of attraction is between 2 and 4k_BT and gel phases when the strength of attraction is increased. For those samples that undergo macroscopic phase separation, whether to gas–crystal, gas–liquid or gas–liquid–crystal coexistence, we observe dynamic scaling of the structure factor and growth of a characteristic length scale that behaves as expected for phase separation in fluids. In samples that gel, the power law associated with the growth of the dominant length scale is not equal to 1/3, but appears to depend mainly on the strength of attraction, decreasing from 1/3 for samples near the coexistence region to 1/27 at 8k_BT, over a wide range of colloid and polymer concentrations.