Structural properties and phase behavior in colloidal suspensions

Abstract

In this dissertation I present my research on the effective interactions of colloidal particles induced by a smaller species, as well as the structure of colloidal particles undergoing freeze casting. In this research I have used a wide variety of computational techniques in order to understand these systems. Specifically, in Chapter 2 I study nanoparticle haloing in a system of silica microspheres and highly charged polystyrene nanoparticles. Computer simulations are employed to determine the effective microsphere– microsphere potential induced by the nanoparticles. From these simulations I am also able to determine the degree of nanoparticle adsorption on the microsphere surface. In Chapter 3 I investigate the depletion interaction in a system of charged microspheres and rigid rods. The effect of both rod concentration and screening length is explored. In Chapter 4 I study the effective interactions between charged colloids in the presence of multivalent counterions. The role of colloid charge is investigated and the onset of like-charged attraction is determined and compared with theoretical predictions. In order to study this system, I extended the geometric cluster algorithm to efficiently simulate systems interacting through the Coulomb potential. In Chapter 5 computer simulations are employed to elucidate the experimentally observed crystal phases of the Q and MS-2 virus particles in solution with multivalent salt and non-adsorbing polymer. Freeze casting is studied in Chapter 6. In this process colloidal particles are pushed by an advancing ice front. I use molecular dynamics simulations to study the dynamics of the colloidal particles and the resulting structures formed. iii