Osmotic stress tensor in charge stabilized colloidal crystals

Abstract

Osmotic stress tensor is introduced to describe the osmotic pressure in colloidal crystals within the framework of the theory of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. The osmotic stress tensor is related to the fundamental stress tensor, which is associated with the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. It is shown that the osmotic stress tensor can be determined for colloidal crystals with arbitrary structures, as well as for media that are described by cell models. The general results are exemplified by spherical and cylindrical cell models.