Mutual coagulation of colloidal dispersions

A quantitative theory is presented which describes the kinetics of coagulation of colloidal systems containing more than one dispersed species. A general expression has been derived to describe the potential energy of interaction between dissimilar spherical colloidal particles, using the linear (Debye-Hückel) approximation for low surface potentials. An overall stability ratio has been defined which takes into account the possibility of interactions between like, as well as unlike, particles in the system. The errors introduced by the use of the linear approximation have been assessed in terms of their effects on the stability ratio, and found to be quite small. The theory has been used to describe the behaviour of a hypothetical system under various conditions.