Liquid-glass re-entrant behavior in a charge-stabilized colloidal dispersion

Abstract Using the static structure factor S(q) calculated in the rescaled mean spherical approximation and in conjunction with the idealized mode-coupling theory, we determine the loci of the liquid-glass transition phase boundary for a salt-free suspension of charged colloids prepared in different counterions concentrations. For the simplest deionised charge-stabilized colloidal liquid, our calculations demonstrate the possibility of observing, in restrictive regions of the phase diagram, the liquid⇄glass⇄liquid⇄glass re-entrant transition. The latter disappears at a lower concentration of counterions and, when this arises, only the glass⇄liquid⇄glass is observed. We study this counterion-concentration-dependent re-entrant phenomenon by analyzing the non-ergodic Debye–Waller factor, S(q) and their corresponding spatial counterparts.