Observation of a microcrystalline gel in colloids with competing interactions

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2009 Dec 14;11(46):10827-30. doi: 10.1039/b917254h. Epub 2009 Nov 2.

Abstract

A stable short-range crystalline structure is observed in colloidal systems with competing short-range attractions and long-range repulsions. We term these structures "microcrystalline gels" as the microcrystals are embedded in a dense disordered network.