We propose a statistical mechanical model for colloidal particles suspended in an emulsion of liquid droplets. The particles are modeled as hard spheres. The interaction between droplets is also hard, but the particles are able to penetrate the droplets. A swelling of droplets is taken into account to ensure material conservation of the droplet liquid. Hence the presence of the colloids generates droplet polydispersity. Using computer simulation and liquid state theory, we find that the relative polydispersity exhibits nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the particle packing fraction and can be traced back to hard sphere bulk density fluctuations.

• Received 2 December 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.61.5445