2023/12/24 by Andrea Gambassi, Gambassi, Andrea, S. Dietrich +1 · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2312.15482
openalex publication_date 2023/12/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We review recent advances in the theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies of critical Casimir forces in soft matter, with particular emphasis on their relevance for the structures of colloidal suspensions and on their dynamics. Distinct from other interactions which act in soft matter, such as electrostatic and van der Waals forces, critical Casimir forces are effective interactions characterised by the possibility to control reversibly their strength via minute temperature changes, while their attractive or repulsive character is conveniently determined via surface treatments or by structuring the involved surfaces. These features make critical Casimir forces excellent candidates for controlling the equilibrium and dynamical properties of individual colloids or colloidal dispersions as well as for possible applications in micro-mechanical systems. In the past 25 years a number of theoretical and experimental studies have been devoted to investigate these forces primarily under thermal equilibrium conditions, while their dynamical and non-equilibrium behaviour is a largely unexplored subject open for future investigations.