DLVO theory, named after the scientists Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek, is a fundamental theory in colloid science that describes the interactions between charged particles in a liquid medium. It combines two primary forces that influence colloidal stability: the van der Waals attractive forces and the electrostatic repulsive forces.
Articles by others on the same topic
DLVO theory combines screened electrostatic repulsion from overlapping electric double layers with attractive Van der Waals forces to model colloid stability. A repulsive barrier can inhibit aggregation even when a deep short-distance attractive minimum exists. Increasing electrolyte concentration reduces the screening length and can lower that barrier. Molecular surface forces and polymer-mediated interactions require additions to this description.