Sedimentation equilibrium of adhesive spheres in a planar gap

The sedimentation equilibrium of adhesive spheres mimicking a system of interacting spherical colloidal particles in suspensions in planar pores is studied on the basis of the solution to the hypernetted chain/Ornstein–Zernike equation. The increasing interparticle adhesive attraction together with the gravity lead to the overall effect on particles to occupy the region of lower altitudes. It is found that at sufficiently strong stickiness the adhesive fluid in the gap behaves as a `condensation nucleusʹ for the condensation of particles from the bulk phase, the effect predominating the natural tendency of strongly adhesive particles to avoid the confined system.