Colloids and the Depletion Interaction

Colloids are submicron particles that are ubiquitous in nature (milk, clay, blood) and industrial products (paints, drilling fluids, food). Humankind have always tried to influence colloidal interactions: think of the Egyptians a few thousand years ago who engineered ink and red pigments using polys [...]
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Colloids are submicron particles that are ubiquitous in nature (milk, clay, blood) and industrial products (paints, drilling fluids, food). Humankind have always tried to influence colloidal interactions: think of the Egyptians a few thousand years ago who engineered ink and red pigments using polysaccharides. They were taking advantage of anchoring the polysaccharides onto the colloids to provide the stabilization that eventually made it possible to write on papyrus. In recent decades it has become clear that adding depletants such as polymers or small colloids to colloidal dispersions allows one to tune the interactions between the colloids and in this way control the stability, structure and rheological properties of colloidal dispersions. This book offers a concise introduction to the fundamentals of depletion effects and their influence on the phase behavior of colloidal dispersions. These fundamental principles promote insight and the intuitive sense needed to isolate issues related to depletion effects in technological problems and design critical experiments.In an introductory chapter we provide a historical perspective and the broad range of applications of depletion effects not only in colloid science but also in biology, medicine and technology. Subsequently, we address the basics of depletion interactions, including the effects of anisotropic depletants. The next chapter covers the basics of phase behavior in colloidal dispersions, followed by extensions towards mixtures of spherical colloids with polymers or small colloids inducing depletion forces. Finally, we consider depletion effects in suspensions of rod-like colloids. Throughout the book, conceptual explanations are accompanied by experimental and computer simulation results. This is an ideal book for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physical chemistry or soft matter physics. It provides the basic knowledge of depletion interactions and phase behaviour in general. Experienced scientists and engineers working on polymers, particles or colloidal dispersions, may also find this book useful.