Colloidal Gel: Arrested Phase Separation

Attractive colloids undergo spinodal decomposition, then vitrify into a space-spanning gel network

Controls

Colloidal Interactions

3.0
0.10
0.25

Dynamics

1.00
1.0

State

Particles
Mean bonds/particle
Structure (gel/fluid)
Mean MSD

Physics

Short-range attractions drive spinodal decomposition. At high ε/kT, kinetics vitrify before equilibrium is reached — a non-equilibrium gel network forms.
U(r) = 4ε[(σ/r)¹² - (σ/r)⁶]·Θ(r_cut)
Color encodes local bond number: blue = isolated, yellow-red = gelled network node. Watch the percolating cluster form!