Modeling colloidal interactions that predict equilibrium and non-equilibrium states

Modulating the interaction potential between colloids suspended in a fluid can trigger equilibrium phase transitions as well as the formation of non-equilibrium arrested states, such as gels and glasses. Faithful representation of such interactions is essential for using simulation to interrogate the microscopic details of non-equilibrium behavior and for extrapolating observations to new regions of phase space that are difficult to explore in experiments. Although the extended law of corresponding states predicts equilibrium phases for systems with short-ranged interactions, it proves inadequate for equilibrium predictions of systems with longer-ranged interactions and for predicting non-equilibrium phenomena in systems with either short- or long-ranged interactions. These shortcomings highlight the need for new approaches to represent and disambiguate interaction potentials that replicate both equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase behavior. In this work, we use experiments and simulations to study a system with long-ranged thermoresponsive colloidal interactions and explore whether a resolution to this challenge can be found in regions of the phase diagram where temporal effects influence material state. We demonstrate that the conditions for non-equilibrium arrest by colloidal gelation are sensitive to both the shape of the interaction potential and the thermal quench rate. We exploit this sensitivity to propose a kinetics-based algorithm to extract distinct arrest conditions for candidate potentials that accurately selects between potentials that differ in shape but share the same predicted equilibrium structure. The algorithm selects the candidate that best matches the non-equilibrium behavior between simulation and experiments. Because non-equilibrium behavior in simulation is encoded entirely by the interparticle potential, the results are agnostic to the particular mechanism(s) by which arrest occurs, and so we expect our method to apply to a range of arrested states, including gels and glasses. Beyond its utility in constructing models, the method reveals that each potential has a quantitatively distinct arrest line, providing insight into how the shape of longer-ranged potentials influences the conditions for colloidal gelation. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.

Automated summary

Modulating the interaction potential between colloids can trigger equilibrium phase transitions and non-equilibrium gelation. Traditional methods are inadequate to represent long-ranged interactions and non-equilibrium phenomena. In this study, we use experiments and simulations to explore long-ranged thermoresponsive colloidal interactions and propose a kinetics-based algorithm to select potentials that accurately replicate non-equilibrium behavior.