Published in
American Physical Society, Physical Review Letters, 2(96)
DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.96.028306
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Fluids of Clusters in Attractive Colloids
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Hans M. Wyss ,
Andrew B. Schofield ,
David A. Weitz
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Abstract
We show that colloidal particles with attractive interactions induced by a nonadsorbing polymer exhibit a stable phase consisting of a fluid of clusters of particles. This phase persists even in the absence of any long-range repulsion due to charge, contrary to expectations based on simulation and theory. Cluster morphology depends strongly on the range of the interparticle attraction: With a shorter range, clusters are tenuous and branched; with a longer range, they are more compact.