Model for the Interaction of Biocolloidal Particles

Abstract

According to the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory of colloid stability, the balance of the van der Waals attraction and the electrostatic repulsion acting between colloidal particles determines the stability of their suspensions. The DLVO theory can be applied to hard particles with no surface structures. Biocolloidal particles such as cells, on the other hand, are not simple hard particles but can be modeled as soft particles, i.e., hard particles covered with a surface layer of polyelectrolytes. In this review article, we start with the traditional DLVO theory and then discuss a new theory of interactions between soft particles, which can be applied to the interaction of biocolloidal particles.