Liquid-gas separation in colloidal electrolytes

Abstract

The liquid-gas transition of an electroneutral mixture of oppositely charged colloids, studied by Monte Carlo simulations, is found in the low temperature -- low density region. The critical temperature shows a non-monotonous behavior as a function of the interaction range, ${\kappa }^{-1}$, with a maximum at $\kappa \sigma \approx 10$, implying an island of coexistence in the $\kappa$-$\rho$ plane. The system is arranged in such a way that each particle is surrounded by shells of particles with alternating charge. In contrast with the electrolyte primitive model, both neutral and charged clusters are obtained in the vapor phase

6 pages

References in corpus (4)

• Electrostatic correlations: from Plasma to Biology
• Three-dimensional Binary Superlattices of Oppositely-charged Colloids
• Coexistence and Criticality in Size-Asymmetric Hard-Core Electrolytes
• Dipolar origin of the gas-liquid coexistence of the hard-core 1:1 electrolyte model

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Crystallization and gelation in colloidal systems with short-ranged attractive interactions
• Gas-liquid phase separation in oppositely charged colloids: stability and interfacial tension
• Phase equilibria and interfacial properties of two-dimensional Yukawa fluids
• Low temperature behaviour and glass line of the symmetrical colloidal electrolyte