Theory of equilibration and aging in colloidal fluids of non-spherical interacting particles

Abstract

One of the fundamental topics that arise in the study of amorphous solid materials is the dynamical arrest state that occurs in these systems during their process of solidi cation. This feature is presented in numerous systems, such as gels and glasses, which are essential in many technologically specialized materials. Taking into account the literature, we can nd a variety of studies, ranging from experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical models [1,2], all with the goal of characterizing the speci c mechanism involved in the dynamic arrest. As a result, two remarkable and important feature emerges as universal ngerprints of these materials, namely, their inability to reach thermodynamic equilibrium within experimental times and the fact that their nal properties will depend on the preparation protocol.