Abstract

Colloidal suspensions consist of particles (1 nm to 10 ?m) suspended in a solvent (Hamley 2000, Jones 2002). The size and shape of the particles are variable, and their interactions are tunable. Colloidal particles are found in a wide range of substances, including paints, foods, and biological fluids. Because of their meso-scopic size, colloidal suspension time and length scales are more accessible in experimental study than those in atomic systems, and colloidal suspensions are often studied in analogy to atomic systems. The size of the colloids allows one to treat the background liquid as approximately continuum, providing a thermal bath (Figure 13.1).