72 research outputs found
Interaction regimes for oppositely charged plates with multivalent counterions
Within a mean-field treatment of the interaction between two oppositely charged plates in a salt-free solution, the distance at which a transition from an attractive to a repulsive regime appears can be computed analytically. The mean-field description, however, breaks down under strong Coulombic couplings, which can be achieved at room temperature with multivalent counterions and highly charged surfaces. Making use of the contact theorem and simple physical arguments, we propose explicit expressions for the equation of state in several situations at short distances. The possibility of Bjerrum pair formation is addressed and is shown to have profound consequences on the interactions. To complete the picture, we consider the large-distance limit, from which schematic phase diagram discriminating attractive from repulsive regions can be proposed
Noise enhanced performance of ratchet cellular automata
We present the first experimental realization of a ratchet cellular automaton
(RCA) which has been recently suggested as an alternative approach for
performing logical operations with interacting (quasi) particles. Our study was
performed with interacting colloidal particles which serve as a model system
for other dissipative systems i.e. magnetic vortices on a superconductor or
ions in dissipative optical arrays. We demonstrate that noise can enhance the
efficiency of information transport in RCA and consequently enables their
optimal operation at finite temperatures.Comment: accepted for publication at Phys. Rew. Let
A Stability Diagram for Dense Suspensions of Model Colloidal Al2O3-Particles in Shear Flow
In Al2O3 suspensions, depending on the experimental conditions very different
microstructures can be found, comprising fluid like suspensions, a repulsive
structure, and a clustered microstructure. For technical processing in
ceramics, the knowledge of the microstructure is of importance, since it
essentially determines the stability of a workpiece to be produced. To
enlighten this topic, we investigate these suspensions under shear by means of
simulations. We observe cluster formation on two different length scales: the
distance of nearest neighbors and on the length scale of the system size. We
find that the clustering behavior does not depend on the length scale of
observation. If inter-particle interactions are not attractive the particles
form layers in the shear flow. The results are summarized in a stability
diagram.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, revised versio
Charge ordering in quarter-filled ladder systems coupled to the lattice
We investigate charge ordering in the presence of electron-phonon coupling
for quarter-filled ladder systems by using Exact Diagonalization. As an example
we consider NaV2O5 using model parameters obtained from first-principles
band-structure calculations. The relevant Holstein coupling to the lattice
considerably reduces the critical value of the nearest-neighbor Coulomb
repulsion at which formation of the zig-zag charge-ordered state occurs, which
is then accompanied by a static lattice distortion. Energy and length of a
kink-like excitation on the background of the distorted lattice are calculated.
Spin and charge spectra on ladders with and without static distortion are
obtained, and the charge gap and the effective spin-spin exchange parameter J
are extracted. J agrees well with experimental results. Analysis of the
dynamical Holstein model, restricted to a small number of phonons, shows that
low frequency lattice vibrations increase the charge order, accompanied by
dynamically produced zig-zag lattice distortions.Comment: 11 pages, 17 figures, revised version as to appear in Phys. Rev.
Sand consolidation via latex destabilization
This article investigates the use of a commercial latex dispersion for the purpose of sand consolidation in oil wells. The aim is to consolidate sand without compromising permeability and to prevent sanding during water breakthrough. This is achieved by injecting latex dispersions into a sand-pack and relying on potassium chloride flushes, or irreducible saline water in the reservoir, to destabilize the latex onto the sand surface. This forms a latex network connecting and holding the sand grains together. The strength of the consolidation in the laboratory is determined by flowing water and oil at various flow rates and investigating the amount of sand produced. The effect of different parameters, such as the amount of latex injected, the latex salinity, and salinity of the irreducible water are discussed.The authors thank BP for funding and Dr. Peter Shaw at Synthomer for supplying the latex dispersion
A numerical study of a binary Yukawa model in regimes characteristic of globular proteins in solutions
The main goal of this paper is to assess the limits of validity, in the
regime of low concentration and strong Coulomb coupling (high molecular
charges), for a simple perturbative approximation to the radial distribution
functions (RDF), based upon a low-density expansion of the potential of mean
force and proposed to describe protein-protein interactions in a recent
Small-Angle-Scattering (SAS) experimental study. A highly simplified Yukawa
(screened Coulomb) model of monomers and dimers of a charged globular protein
(-lactoglobulin) in solution is considered. We test the accuracy of the
RDF approximation, as a necessary complementary part of the previous
experimental investigation, by comparison with the fluid structure predicted by
approximate integral equations and exact Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. In the
MC calculations, an Ewald construction for Yukawa potentials has been used to
take into account the long-range part of the interactions in the weakly
screened cases. Our results confirm that the perturbative first-order
approximation is valid for this system even at strong Coulomb coupling,
provided that the screening is not too weak (i.e., for Debye length smaller
than monomer radius). A comparison of the MC results with integral equation
calculations shows that both the hypernetted-chain (HNC) and the Percus-Yevick
(PY) closures have a satisfactory behavior under these regimes, with the HNC
being superior throughout. The relevance of our findings for interpreting SAS
results is also discussed.Comment: Physical Review E, in press (2005
Spin models for orientational ordering of colloidal molecular crystals
Two-dimensional colloidal suspensions exposed to periodic external fields
exhibit a variety of molecular crystalline phases. There two or more colloids
assemble at lattice sites of potential minima to build new structural entities,
referred to as molecules. Using the strength of the potential and the filling
fraction as control parameter, phase transition to unconventional
orientationally ordered states can be induced. We introduce an approach that
focuses at the discrete set of orientational states relevant for the phase
ordering. The orientationally ordered states are mapped to classical spin
systems. We construct effective hamiltonians for dimeric and trimeric molecules
on triangular lattices suitable for a statistical mechanics discussion. A
mean-field analysis produces a rich phase behavior which is substantiated by
Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 19 pages, 21 figures; misplacement of Fig.3 fixe
Charge-Reversal Instability in Mixed Bilayer Vesicles
Bilayer vesicles form readily from mixtures of charged and neutral
surfactants. When such a mixed vesicle binds an oppositely-charged object, its
membrane partially demixes: the adhesion zone recruits more charged surfactants
from the rest of the membrane. Given an unlimited supply of adhering objects
one might expect the vesicle to remain attractive until it was completely
covered. Contrary to this expectation, we show that a vesicle can instead
exhibit {\it adhesion saturation,} partitioning spontaneously into an
attractive zone with definite area fraction, and a repulsive zone. The latter
zone rejects additional incoming objects because counterions on the interior of
the vesicle migrate there, effectively reversing the membrane's charge. The
effect is strongest at high surface charge densities, low ionic strength, and
with thin, impermeable membranes. Adhesion saturation in such a situation has
recently been observed experimentally [H. Aranda-Espinoza {\it et al.}, {\sl
Science} {\bf285} 394--397 (1999)]
Shear Viscosity of Clay-like Colloids in Computer Simulations and Experiments
Dense suspensions of small strongly interacting particles are complex
systems, which are rarely understood on the microscopic level. We investigate
properties of dense suspensions and sediments of small spherical Al_2O_3
particles in a shear cell by means of a combined Molecular Dynamics (MD) and
Stochastic Rotation Dynamics (SRD) simulation. We study structuring effects and
the dependence of the suspension's viscosity on the shear rate and shear
thinning for systems of varying salt concentration and pH value. To show the
agreement of our results to experimental data, the relation between bulk pH
value and surface charge of spherical colloidal particles is modeled by
Debye-Hueckel theory in conjunction with a 2pK charge regulation model.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Direct measurement of three-body interactions
Three-body interactions have been measured among three charged colloidal
particles in deionized solvent. Two of the particles have been confined to an
optical line-trap while the third one was approached by means of a focused
laser beam. The experimentally determined three-body interactions are
attractive and roughly of the same magnitude and range as the
pair-interactions. In addition, numerical calculations have been performed,
which show good agreement with the experimental results
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