Eur. Phys. J. B 64, 505-509 (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2008-00034-0

Gel-forming patchy colloids and network glass formers: thermodynamic and dynamic analogies

Dipartimento di Fisica and CNR-INFM-SOFT, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy

Corresponding author: ^a francesco.sciortino@phys.uniroma1.it

Received: 14 September 2007
Published online: 23 January 2008

Abstract

This article discusses recent attempts to provide a deeper understanding of the thermoreversible “gel" state of colloidal matter and to unravel the analogies between gels at the colloidal level and gels at the molecular level, commonly known as network-forming strong liquids. The connection between gel-forming patchy colloids and strong liquids is provided by the limited valence of the inter-particle interactions, i.e. by the presence of a limit in the number of bonded nearest neighbors.