title: Length-scale-dependent relaxation in colloidal gels.
abstract: We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to investigate the relaxation dynamics of a simple model for a colloidal gel at a low volume fraction. We find that due to the presence of the open spanning network this dynamics shows at low temperature a nontrivial dependence on the wave vector which is very different from the one observed in dense glass-forming liquids. At high wave vectors the relaxation is due to the fast cooperative motion of the branches of the gel network, whereas at low wave vectors the overall rearrangements of the heterogeneous structure produce the relaxation process.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli, Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Del Gado
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kob
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D005782:Gels