Colloids in a solution.
*These charge particles may consist of many atoms and they tend to
attract ions from the electrolyte which will form an agglomerate around
them.
* Colloids interact one another: VdW attraction and EDL repulsion.
The balance between these 2 forces give stability to the system and
avoids the formation of clusters.
Colloids in a solution.
*These charge particles may consist of many atoms and they tend to
attract ions from the electrolyte which will form an agglomerate around
them.
* Colloids interact one another: VdW attraction and EDL repulsion.
The balance between these 2 forces give stability to the system and
avoids the formation of clusters.
DLVO theory
The DLVO theory is named after: Derjaguin and Landau (1941), Verwey and
Overbeek (1948).
The theory explains the aggregation of aqueous dispersions quantitatively
and describes the force between charged surfaces interacting through a
liquid medium.
Combines the effects of the van der Waals attraction (quite easy to compute)
and the electrostatic repulsion due to the so-called double layer of counterions. The electrostatic part of the DLVO interaction is computed in the mean
field approximation in the limit of low surface potentials (requires a high-T
approximation to linearize the Poisson-Boltzmann equation).
1923: Debye and Hckel reported the first successful theory for the
distribution of charges in ionic solutions. The framework of linearized
DebyeHckel theory subsequently was applied to colloidal dispersions by
Levine and Dube, who found that charged colloidal particles should
experience a strong medium-range repulsion and a weaker long-range
attraction. This theory did not explain the observed instability of colloidal
dispersions against irreversible aggregation in solutions of high ionic
strength.
In 1941, Derjaguin and Landau introduced a theory for the stability of
colloidal dispersions that invoked a fundamental instability driven by strong
but short-ranged van der Waals attractions countered by the stabilizing
influence of electrostatic repulsions. Seven years later, Verwey and
Overbeek independently arrived at the same result.
This so-called DLVO theory resolved the failure of the LevineDube theory
to account for the dependence of colloidal dispersions stability on the ionic
strength of the electrolyte.
Derivation: Superposition Principle (VdW + EDL separately).
To find the potential we solve the Poisson equation, taking into account that
the concentration of ions follows a Boltzmann-distribution. In this way we
are led to a Boltzmann-Poisson equation for the potential, which can be
solved considering the temperature to be high enough (in this way we
linearize this P.D.E.):
The last equations were taken from Landau's Book Vol 5 and are used
to treat a classical plasma (similar system).
The most known and widely used theory for calculating zeta
potential from experimental data is that developed by Marian
Smoluchowski in 1903.
This theory was originally developed for electrophoresis;
however, an extension to electroacoustics is now also
available.
Smoluchowskis theory is powerful because it is valid for
dispersed particles of any shape and any concentration
(although it has its limitations).
SUMMARY:
The best choice is to rely in the Monte Carlo method for this
strongly interacting system (error follow the LLN). So by
increasing the number of Steps in the MC-Trajectory we
reduce the uncertainty.
The system exhibits 2nd order phase transition in the
Thermodynamic Limit (Yang-Lee Theorem).
Lev Landau