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SUMMARY:The role of particle size and shape in highly size-asymmetric mixt
 ures - Dr Douglas Ashton (University of Bath\, Department of Physics)
DTSTART:20110506T110000Z
DTEND:20110506T120000Z
UID:TALK30870@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Mark Miller
DESCRIPTION:It has long been known that entropy alone can be powerful enou
 gh to drive a phase transition.  A binary mixture of differently sized har
 d spheres can exhibit many complicated crystalline phases.  At large size 
 ratios the small particles can essentially be used to tune the interaction
  between large particles.  This is exploited to great effect in the contro
 l of colloidal dispersions and in some cases can drive fluid-fluid separat
 ion.  Numerically\, large size ratios are very difficult to deal with due 
 to the small particles effectively jamming in the larger ones.  Through th
 e application of specialised Monte Carlo algorithms we have been able to c
 ircumvent the principal bottleneck\, allowing us to calculate effective po
 tentials and even full phase behaviour for a range of model systems.  The 
 same techniques have also allowed us to explore the effect of particle sha
 pe.  In particular I will show preliminary results for a lock-and-key syst
 em that is a model for protein binding that exhibits depletion driven self
  assembly.
LOCATION:Unilever Lecture Theatre\, Department of Chemistry
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