Phase separation, aggregation and gelation in colloid-polymer mixtures and related systems

Abstract

The study of phase transitions in model spherical colloids within a ‘colloids as (super)atoms’ paradigm continues to proceed apace. While interest in quasi-monodisperse systems remains on a high level, much recent attention has also focused on phase transitions in binary mixtures (colloid-polymer and colloid-colloid mixtures), as well as the effect of polydispersity on phase behaviour. At the same time, increasing attention is being paid to the study of metastability and the slow structural evolution (‘ageing’) of metastable states such as transient particle gels. The equilibrium phase behaviour and phase transition kinetics of protein solutions and other biological systems are increasingly being scrutinised under the light of insights gained from the study of model colloids.