Properties of concentrated colloidal dispersions

The use of various modern techniques to examine particle–particle interactions in concentrated colloidal dispersions is reviewed. The analogy between colloidal dispersions and molecular fluids is drawn and the conditions for the formation of colloidal crystals discussed. The latter part of the article examines the role played by particle–particle interactions in determining the macroscopic properties of colloidal dispersions such as viscosity, viscoelasticity and elasticity.