= Solution
Adsorbed or grafted <polymers> \b[stabilize] a <colloid> through <steric stabilization> when coverage is high and the solvent keeps the chains extended. Charged chains can add electrostatic repulsion, giving <electrosteric stabilization>.
They can \b[destabilize] it through <polymer bridging flocculation> when a chain adsorbs onto two particles, especially at incomplete coverage; through <depletion force> when nonadsorbing <polymer> is excluded from the gap and the surrounding solution's <osmotic pressure> pushes particles together; or through collapse of an adsorbed layer in a poor solvent. <Polymer> identity, molecular size, solvent quality, adsorption and concentration determine which mechanism dominates.
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