title: Colloidal gels assembled via a temporary interfacial scaffold.
abstract: The liquid-liquid phase separation of a binary solvent can be arrested by colloidal particles trapped at the interface [K. Stratford, Science 309, 2198 (2005)]. We show experimentally that the colloidal network so formed can remain stable after fully remixing the liquids, creating a new type of gel in which colloids in a single-phase solvent have locally planar coordination. We argue that this structure is likely maintained by primary-minimum Derjaguin-Landau-Verweg-Overbeek bonding of our charged colloids, created under strong compression by capillary forces. We present simulation evidence that the combination of a short-ranged attraction with a repulsive barrier can strongly stabilize such locally planar gels.
authors.affiliation: SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cates