Wetting reversal in colloid-polymer systems
Abstract
The wetting of a phase-separated colloid-polymer mixture in contact with a hard wall is analyzed using free volume theory in a Nakanishi-Fisher-type approach. We present results for the wetting phase diagram for several model approximations. Our analysis is compared with a previous analysis by Aarts [J. Chem. Phys. 120, 1973 (2004)]. We find that there is a crossover from wetting to drying at a threshold value for the colloid-polymer size ratio and that the transitions are close to the critical point and of second order in nature.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review E
- Pub Date:
- May 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevE.81.051602
- Bibcode:
- 2010PhRvE..81e1602B
- Keywords:
-
- 68.08.Bc;
- Wetting