Phase diagrams of binary mixtures of patchy colloids with distinct numbers and types of patches: The empty fluid regime

Abstract

We investigate the effect of distinct bonding energies on the onset of criticality of low functionality fluid mixtures. We focus on mixtures of particles with two and three patches as this includes the mixture where 'empty' fluids were originally reported. In addition to the number of patches, the species differ in the type of patches or bonding sites. For simplicity, we consider that the patches on each species are identical: one species has 3 patches of type $A$ and the other 2 patches of type $B$. We have found a rich phase behaviour with closed miscibility gaps, liquid-liquid demixing and negative azeotropes. Liquid-liquid demixing was found to preempt the 'empty' fluid regime, of these mixtures, when the $AB$ bonds are weaker than the $AA$ or $BB$ bonds. By contrast, mixtures in this class exhibit 'empty' fluid behaviour when the $AB$ bonds are stronger than at least one of the other two. Mixtures with bonding energies ${\epsilon }_{BB}={\epsilon }_{AB}$ and ${\epsilon }_{AA}<{\epsilon }_{BB}$, were found to exhibit an unusual negative azeotrope.

12 pages, 11 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Phase diagram of patchy colloids: towards empty liquids
• Colloidal Gels: Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Routes
• Observation of empty liquids and equilibrium gels in a colloidal clay
• Theoretical and numerical study of the phase diagram of patchy colloids: ordered and disordered patch arrangements
• Phase diagrams of binary mixtures of patchy colloids with distinct numbers of patches: The network fluid regime

Cited by in corpus (19)

• Phase diagrams of binary mixtures of patchy colloids with distinct numbers of patches: The network fluid regime
• Equilibrium gels of limited valence colloids
• Structure and phase behavior of polymer-linked colloidal gels
• On the Formation of Equilibrium Gels via a Macroscopic Bond Limitation
• Computing the phase diagram of binary mixtures: a patchy particle case study
• Molecular Theory for Self Assembling Mixtures of Patchy Colloids and Colloids with Spherically Symmetric Attractions: The Single Patch Case
• Properties of patchy colloidal particles close to a surface: a Monte Carlo and density functional study
• Machine learning of a density functional for anisotropic patchy particles
• Thermodynamic perturbation theory for self assembling mixtures of multi - patch colloids and colloids with spherically symmetric attractions
• Molecular theory for the phase equilibria and cluster distribution of associating fluids with small bond angles
• Phase Diagram of a Reentrant Gel of Patchy Particles
• Wertheim perturbation theory: thermodynamics and structure of patchy colloids
• Mixtures of functionalized colloids on substrates
• Bulk structural informations from density functionals for patchy particles
• Percolation in binary mixtures of linkers and particles: chaining {\it {vs}} branching
• Temperature (de)activated patchy colloidal particles
• Empty liquid state and re-entrant phase behavior of the patchy colloids confined in the porous media
• Effects of Ligand vs. Linker on Phase Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Nanoparticle Gels
• Building up DNA, bit by bit: a simple description of chain assembly