Issue 15, 2024

Critical Casimir forces in soft matter

Abstract

We review recent advances in the theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies of critical Casimir forces in soft matter, with particular emphasis on their relevance for the structures of colloidal suspensions and on their dynamics. Distinct from other interactions which act in soft matter, such as electrostatic and van der Waals forces, critical Casimir forces are effective interactions characterised by the possibility to control reversibly their strength via minute temperature changes, while their attractive or repulsive character is conveniently determined via surface treatments or by structuring the involved surfaces. These features make critical Casimir forces excellent candidates for controlling the equilibrium and dynamical properties of individual colloids or colloidal dispersions as well as for possible applications in micro-mechanical systems. In the past 25 years a number of theoretical and experimental studies have been devoted to investigating these forces primarily under thermal equilibrium conditions, while their dynamical and non-equilibrium behaviour is a largely unexplored subject open for future investigations.

Graphical abstract: Critical Casimir forces in soft matter

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
19 Oct 2023
Accepted
20 Feb 2024
First published
04 Apr 2024

Soft Matter, 2024,20, 3212-3242

Critical Casimir forces in soft matter

A. Gambassi and S. Dietrich, Soft Matter, 2024, 20, 3212 DOI: 10.1039/D3SM01408H

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