Effect of cations on van der Waals interactions between particles in aqueous alkali nitrate electrolytes (opens in new tab)

The van der Waals interaction has been extensively studied for colloidal forces and resultant emergent phenomena such as colloidal stability, aggregation, and suspension rheology, but the effect of electrolytes on this interaction, especially at intermediate and high electrolyte concentrations, remains incompletely understood. We have extended the Lifshitz theory for van der Waals interactions in pure water to alkali nitrate solutions at arbitra...