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Competition between glass transition and liquid-gas separation in attracting colloids

A. M. Puertas, M. Fuchs, M. E. Cates

cond-mat.softarXiv:cond-mat/0610542

Abstract

We present simulation results addressing the phenomena of colloidal gelation induced by attractive interactions. The liquid-gas transition is prevented by the glass arrest at high enough attraction strength, resulting in a colloidal gel. The dynamics of the system is controlled by the glass, with little effect of the liquid-gas transition. When the system separates in a liquid and vapor phases, even if the denser phase enters the non-ergodic region, the vapor phase enables the structural relaxation of the system as a whole.

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