Perturbative polydispersity: Phase equilibria of near-monodisperse systems

Modelling phase equilibria in systems

Polydispersity in Colloidal Phase Transitions

I have studied the effects of polydispersity on the phase behaviour of suspensions of PMMA colloidal spheres on their own and in the presence of non-adsorbed polymer. I systematically explored the volume fraction–polydispersity (φ − σ) phase behaviour of hard spheres (with radii R =167, 244, 300 and 303nm) through direct observations and crystallography measurements. I observed normal crystalli...

Predicting phase equilibria in polydisperse systems

Many materials containing colloids or polymers are polydisperse: they comprise particles with properties (such as particle diameter, charge, or polymer chain length) that depend continuously on one or several parameters. This review focuses on the theoretical prediction of phase equilibria in polydisperse systems; the presence of an effectively infinite number of distinguishable particle specie...

Polydispersity and the fluid-crystalline phase transition

2014 A « critical » degree of polydispersity is postulated beyond which liquid and crystalline states merge. For a system with a triangular particle-size distribution, the disappearance of the melting transition is estimated to occur at levels of just less than 30 % polydispersity. J. Physique Lett. 46 (1985) L-229 L-232 ~ 15 MARS 1985, : -1 Classification Physics Abstracts 64. 70D 82.70 Freezi...

Spinodal fractionation in a polydisperse square-well fluid.

Using kinetic Monte Carlo simulation, we model gas-liquid spinodal decomposition in a size-polydisperse square well fluid, representing a "near-monodisperse" colloidal dispersion. We find that fractionation (demixing) of particle sizes between the phases begins asserting itself shortly after the onset of phase ordering. Strikingly, the direction of size fractionation can be reversed by a seemin...