DLVO theory is a theory of colloidal dispersion stability in which zeta potential is used to explain that as two particles approach one another their ionic atmospheres begin to overlap and a repulsion force is developed.  In this theory, two forces are considered to impact on colloidal stability: Van der Waals forces and electrical double layer forces.
The total potential energy is described as the sum of the attraction potential and the repulsion potential. When two particles approach each other, electrostatic repulsion increases and the interference between their electrical double layers increases. However, the Van der Waals attraction also increases as they get closer. At each distance, the net potential energy of the smaller value is subtracted from the larger value.
At very close distances, the combination of these forces results in a deep attractive well, which is referred to as the primary minimum. At larger distances, the energy profile goes through a maximum, or energy barrier, and subsequently passes through a shallow minimum, which is referred to as the secondary minimum.
At the maximum of the energy barrier, repulsion is greater than attraction. Particles rebound after interparticle contact, and remain dispersed throughout the medium. The maximum energy needs to be greater than the thermal energy. Otherwise, particles will aggregate due to the attraction potential. The height of the barrier indicates how stable the system is. Since particles have to overcome this barrier in order to aggregate, two particles on a collision course must have sufficient kinetic energy due to their velocity and mass. If the barrier is cleared, then the net interaction is all attractive, and as a result the particles aggregate. This inner region is often referred to as an energy trap since the colloids can be considered to be trapped together by Van der Waals forces.
For a colloidal system, the thermodynamic equilibrium state may be reached when the particles are in deep primary minimum. At primary minimum, attractive forces overpower the repulsive forces at low molecular distances. Particles coagulate and this process is not reversible. However, when the maximum energy barrier is too high to overcome, the colloid particles may stay in the secondary minimum, where particles are held together but more weakly than in the primary minimum. Particles form weak attractions but are easily redispersed. Thus, the adhesion at secondary minimum can be reversible.