Fluids of Clusters in Attractive Colloids

Abstract

We show that colloidal particles with attractive interactions induced by a nonadsorbing polymer exhibit a stable phase consisting of a fluid of clusters of particles. This phase persists even in the absence of any long-range repulsion due to charge, contrary to expectations based on simulation and theory. Cluster morphology depends strongly on the range of the interparticle attraction: With a shorter range, clusters are tenuous and branched; with a longer range, they are more compact.