Electrostatic-Elastic Softening and Ultraviolet Instability Driven by Non-DLVO Interactions in Charged Colloidal Crystals
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arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866913059073687552 |
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| author | Wu, Hao Ou-Yang, Zhong-Can |
| author_facet | Wu, Hao Ou-Yang, Zhong-Can |
| contents | Colloidal crystals permeated by mobile ions exhibit a coupling between electrostatic and elastic degrees of freedom that renormalizes the effective screening length and induces wave-vector-dependent elastic softening. Building on a recently proposed continuum model [\textit{Commun. Theor. Phys.} \textbf{77}, 055602 (2025)], we perform a rigorous Gaussian fluctuation analysis to elucidate the stability limits of the homogeneous phase. By integrating out the electrostatic fluctuations, we derive the effective elastic modulus $Γ(q)$ as a function of wave vector $q$. We show that the long-wavelength modulus $Γ(0)$ remains identically equal to the bare modulus $βK$, protected by perfect ionic screening. In contrast, the short-wavelength modulus $Γ(q\to\infty) = βK(1-ξ)$ softens as the electrostatic-elastic coupling $ξ\equiv 2βn_0 v_0^2 K$ increases, vanishing at a critical value $ξ=1$. For $ξ>1$, the fluctuation spectrum exhibits a negative eigenvalue for all wave vectors $q > q_c = κ_0/\sqrt{ξ-1}$, signaling an ultraviolet instability of the uniform phase. In a real colloidal crystal, this divergence is regulated by the discrete lattice cutoff $q_{\max}\simπ/a$, confining the physical instability to a finite band $q_c < q < q_{\max}$. The macroscopic limit $q\to 0$ remains unconditionally stable for all $ξ$. The transition at $ξ=1$ thus marks the onset of short-wavelength mechanical failure, while macroscopic elastic stiffness remains intact. Our analysis clarifies the proper physical interpretation of the minimal coupling model and provides a consistent picture of how non-DLVO interactions can drive local structural collapse in charged colloidal crystals. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_22448 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Electrostatic-Elastic Softening and Ultraviolet Instability Driven by Non-DLVO Interactions in Charged Colloidal Crystals Wu, Hao Ou-Yang, Zhong-Can Soft Condensed Matter Materials Science Statistical Mechanics Colloidal crystals permeated by mobile ions exhibit a coupling between electrostatic and elastic degrees of freedom that renormalizes the effective screening length and induces wave-vector-dependent elastic softening. Building on a recently proposed continuum model [\textit{Commun. Theor. Phys.} \textbf{77}, 055602 (2025)], we perform a rigorous Gaussian fluctuation analysis to elucidate the stability limits of the homogeneous phase. By integrating out the electrostatic fluctuations, we derive the effective elastic modulus $Γ(q)$ as a function of wave vector $q$. We show that the long-wavelength modulus $Γ(0)$ remains identically equal to the bare modulus $βK$, protected by perfect ionic screening. In contrast, the short-wavelength modulus $Γ(q\to\infty) = βK(1-ξ)$ softens as the electrostatic-elastic coupling $ξ\equiv 2βn_0 v_0^2 K$ increases, vanishing at a critical value $ξ=1$. For $ξ>1$, the fluctuation spectrum exhibits a negative eigenvalue for all wave vectors $q > q_c = κ_0/\sqrt{ξ-1}$, signaling an ultraviolet instability of the uniform phase. In a real colloidal crystal, this divergence is regulated by the discrete lattice cutoff $q_{\max}\simπ/a$, confining the physical instability to a finite band $q_c < q < q_{\max}$. The macroscopic limit $q\to 0$ remains unconditionally stable for all $ξ$. The transition at $ξ=1$ thus marks the onset of short-wavelength mechanical failure, while macroscopic elastic stiffness remains intact. Our analysis clarifies the proper physical interpretation of the minimal coupling model and provides a consistent picture of how non-DLVO interactions can drive local structural collapse in charged colloidal crystals. |
| title | Electrostatic-Elastic Softening and Ultraviolet Instability Driven by Non-DLVO Interactions in Charged Colloidal Crystals |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Materials Science Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.22448 |