Interaction between electrical double layers of soil colloids and Fe/Al oxides in suspensions

Phyllosilicates with net negative surface charge and Fe/Al oxides with net positive surface charge coexist in variable-charge soils, and the interaction between these oppositely charged particles affects the stability of mixed colloids, aggregation, and even the surface chemical properties of variable-charge soils. The interaction of the diffuse layers of electrical double layers between the negatively charged soil colloidal particles and the positively charged particles of goethite or γ-Al2O3 was investigated in this article through the comparison of zeta potentials between single-soil colloidal systems and binary systems containing soil colloids and Fe/Al oxides. The results showed that the presence of goethite and γ-Al2O3 increased the zeta potential of the binary system containing soil colloids and Fe/Al oxides, which clearly suggests the overlapping of the diffuse layers in soil colloids and Fe/Al oxides. The overlapping of the diffuse layers leads to a decrease in the effective negative charge density on soil colloid and thus causes a shift of pH–zeta potential curves toward the more positive-value side. The interaction of the electrical double layers is also related to the charge characteristics on the Fe/Al oxides: the higher the positive charge density on Fe/Al oxides, the stronger the interaction of the electrical double layers between the soil colloid particles and the Fe/Al oxides.