title: Colloid-polymer mixtures in the protein limit.
abstract: We computed the phase-separation behavior and effective interactions of colloid-polymer mixtures in the "protein limit," where the polymer radius of gyration is much larger than the colloid radius. For ideal polymers, the critical colloidal packing fraction tends to zero, whereas for interacting polymers in a good solvent the behavior is governed by a universal binodal, implying a constant critical colloid packing fraction. In both systems the depletion interaction is not well described by effective pair potentials but requires the incorporation of many-body contributions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Bolhuis
authors.forename: Evert Jan
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: Ard A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Louis
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D011108:Polymers; D011506:Proteins