title: Poisson-Boltzmann cell model for heterogeneously charged colloids.
abstract: We introduce the Poisson-Boltzmann cell model for spherical colloidal particles with a heterogeneous surface charge distribution. This model is obtained by generalizing existing cell models for mixtures of homogeneously charged colloidal spheres. Our model has similar features as Onsager's second-virial theory for liquid crystals, but it predicts no orientational ordering if there is no positional ordering. This implies that all phases of heterogeneously charged colloids that are liquidlike with respect to translational degrees of freedom are also isotropic with respect to particle orientation.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eelco
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eggen
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Roij
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids; D004583:Electrons; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids