Communications: Complete description of re-entrant phase behavior in a charge variable colloidal model system.
In titration experiments with NaOH, we have determined the full phase diagram of charged colloidal spheres in dependence on the particle density n, the particle effective charge Z(eff) and the concentration of screening electrolyte c using microscopy, light and ultrasmall angle x-ray scattering (USAXS). For sufficiently large n, the system crystallizes upon increasing Z(eff) at constant c and melts upon increasing c at only slightly altered Z(eff). In contrast to earlier work, equilibrium phase boundaries are consistent with a universal melting line prediction from computer simulation, if the elasticity effective charge is used. This charge accounts for both counterion condensation and many-body effects.
Wette
Patrick
P
Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), 51170 Köln, Germany. patrick.wette@dlr.de
Klassen
Ina
I
Holland-Moritz
Dirk
D
Herlach
Dieter M
DM
Schöpe
Hans Joachim
HJ
Lorenz
Nina
N
Reiber
Holger
H
Palberg
Thomas
T
Roth
Stephan V
SV