Phase separation in a binary mixture of sticky spheres

Abstract

We numerically investigate the dependence of range of attractive potential on the phase separation of 2-D binary systems. Through extensive simulations and analysis, we show that when the range of attractive interactions approaches the sticky sphere limit, the system undergoes a phase separation at lower temperature. Further reduction in temperature causes the system to mix again. These mixing-demixing-mixing transitions are of first order. Such phase separation is not observed for systems with larger interaction range. In the phase separated region of the phase diagram, one of the components of the mixture chooses to be in crystalline configuration, while other being in disordered state