Interplay between gelation and glass formation in silica nanoparticle colloids

Interplay between gelation and glass formation in silica nanoparticle colloids | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Interplay between gelation and glass formation in silica nanoparticle colloids Gianluca Gerardi, Christiane ALBA-SIMIONESCO, Manon Pépin, Anne Davaille This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6972038/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Silica-based colloids, such as Ludox, are complex fluids with diverse applications in industry, geophysics, and biomedicine. These materials exhibit rich rheological behavior in response to external stimuli, including heating, drying, and shear. However, how such stimuli modulate the particle architecture underlying the material’s mechanical response remains poorly understood. Here, using numerical simulations, we show how drying-induced variations in effective pair potential and particle concentration drive a continuous transition from a percolated gel to a dynamically arrested glass. Comparison of numerical results with experimental rheological data demonstrates that these two phase states correspond to distinct mechanical behaviors. We further propose a global scaling law for the diffusion coefficient that captures the percolation threshold as a function of electrostatic repulsion and thermal fluctuations. Overall, our findings provide predictive insights that may apply to a broad class of colloidal dispersions governed by short-range attractive, long-range repulsive (SARL) interactions. Physical sciences/Materials science/Soft materials/Colloids Physical sciences/Materials science/Soft materials/Rheology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Phi055.avi Phi_055 SupplementaryInformation.pdf Supplementary Information for "Interplay between gelation and glass formation in silica nanoparticle colloids Phi034.avi Phi_034 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6972038","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":479969560,"identity":"6a262c81-2364-45fd-b26f-a0077860524c","order_by":0,"name":"Gianluca 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