ABSTRACT

Before dealing with the different types of colloid interactions, it is worth pointing out some important general features. The first point is that colloid interactions are usually of rather short range — usually much less than the particle size. Thus, they do not come into play until particles are nearly in contact and so do not have much influence on the transport of particles, which is still governed by mechanisms discussed in Chapter 2 (i.e., diffusion, sedimentation, and convection). When particles do approach very close, then colloid interactions are crucial in determining whether attachment occurs.