Colloidal Spinodal Gel Network

Colloidal gels form when particles with short-range attractions undergo spinodal decomposition, but arrest before reaching equilibrium due to vitrification of the dense phase (Verhaegh et al 1997, Zaccarelli 2007). Morse potential: V(r) = ε[e^{-2κ(r-1)} − 2e^{-κ(r-1)}] with κ=20 (short-range). At high ε/T and intermediate φ, phase separation stalls into a percolating gel network. The structure factor S(q) develops a low-q peak characteristic of spinodal length scale.