We investigate the structural properties of a simple model for tetrahedral
patchy colloids in which the patch width and the patch range can be tuned
independently. For wide bond angles, a fully bonded network can be generated by
standard Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics simulations of the model, providing
a neat method for generating defect-free random tetrahedral networks. This
offers the possibility of focusing on the role of the patch angular width on
the structure of the fully bonded network. The analysis of the fully bonded
configurations as a function of the bonding angle shows how the bonding angle
controls the system compressibility, the strength of the pre-peak in the
structure factor and ring size distribution. Comparison with models of liquid
water and silica allows us to find the best mapping between these continuous
potentials and the colloidal one. Building on previous studies focused on the
connection between angular range and crystallization, the mapping makes it
possible to shed new light on the glass-forming ability of network-forming
tetrahedral liquids.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
