STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF COLLOIDAL SYSTEMS

Structural and dynamic properties of suspensions of colloidal particles have been studied extensively by static and dynamic scattering experiments. The theoretical analysis has been performed by applying and extending equilibrium and non-equilibrium theories of simple liquids to the case of interacting Brownian particles. A fairly well developed understanding of monodisperse systems has emerged for highly charged colloids and for systems with very short-range interactions. In this contribution two extensions will be discussed: (i) static scattering from polydisperse charge-stabilized systems, and (ii) the collective diffusion of weakly charged monodisperse particles, for which hydrodynamic as well as electrostatic interactions are of importance.