Charge renormalization and phase separation in colloidal suspensions

Abstract

We explore the effects of counterion condensation on fluid-fluid phase separation in charged colloidal suspensions. It is found that formation of double layers around the colloidal particles stabilizes suspensions against phase separation. Addition of salt, however, produces an instability which, in principle, can lead to a fluid-fluid separation. The instability, however, is so weak that it should be impossible to observe a fully equilibrated coexistence experimentally.Comment: 7 pages, Europhysics Letters (in press