Issue 24, 2024

Small variations in particle-level interactions lead to large structural heterogeneities in colloidal gels

Abstract

Colloidal gels typically exhibit mechanical properties akin to a viscoelastic solid, influenced by their underlying particulate network. Hence, the structural and morphological characteristics of the colloidal network have a significant effect on the rigidity of the gel. In this study, we show how seemingly small variations in the particle-level interactions throughout the system result in larger scale structural heterogeneities. While the microscale particle level descriptors of the colloidal network remain largely unaffected by heterogeneous interactions, larger scale properties of a colloidal gel change appreciably. The overall cluster-level mesostructure of a colloidal gel is found to be sensitive to the small variations in the interaction potential at the particle level.

Graphical abstract: Small variations in particle-level interactions lead to large structural heterogeneities in colloidal gels

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Mar 2024
Accepted
09 May 2024
First published
13 May 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Soft Matter, 2024,20, 4692-4698

Small variations in particle-level interactions lead to large structural heterogeneities in colloidal gels

D. Mangal, G. S. Vera, S. Aime and S. Jamali, Soft Matter, 2024, 20, 4692 DOI: 10.1039/D4SM00316K

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