- It says that the stability of a colloidal system is determined by the sum of the electrical double layer repulsive and van de Waals attractive forces which the particles experience as they approach one another
- The theory proposes that an energy barrier resulting from the repulsive force prevents two particles approaching one another and adhering together
- But if the particles collide with sufficient energy to overcome that barrier, the attractive force will pull them into contact where they adhere strongly and irreversibly together.
![DVLO Theory | Double Layer Repulsive Force](/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/dvlotheory.jpg)
Click here to return to “An Introduction to Zeta Potential and its Measurement”