Mesoscopic model for colloidal particles, powders, and granular solids

A simulation model is presented, comprising elastic spheres with a short-range attraction. Besides conservative forces, radial and shear friction, and radial noise are added. The model can be used to simulate colloids, granular solids, and powders, and the parameters may be related to experimental systems via the range of attraction and the adhesion energy. The model shares the simplicity and speed of dissipative particle dynamics, yet the predictions are rather nontrivial. We demonstrate that the model predicts the correct scaling relations for fracture of granular solids, and we present a schematic phase diagram. This shows liquid-vapor coexistence for a sufficiently large interaction range, with a surface tension that follows Ising criticality. For smaller interaction range only solid-vapor coexistence is found, but for a very small attractive interaction range stable liquid-vapor coexistence reappears due to pathological stability of the solid phase. At very low temperature the model forms a glassy state.