In 1923, Debye and Hückel reported the first successful theory for the distribution of charges in ionic solutions.
The framework of linearized Debye–Hückel theory subsequently was applied to colloidal dispersions by Levine and Dube
who found that charged colloidal particles should experience a strong medium-range repulsion and a weaker long-range attraction.
This theory did not explain the observed instability of colloidal dispersions against irreversible aggregation in solutions of high ionic strength.
In 1941, Derjaguin and Landau introduced a theory for the stability of colloidal dispersions that invoked a fundamental instability driven by strong but short-ranged van der Waals attractions countered by the stabilizing influence of electrostatic repulsions.
In 1948, Verwey and Overbeek independently arrived at the same result.
This so-called DLVO theory resolved the failure of the Levine–Dube theory to account for the dependence of colloidal dispersions' stability on the ionic strength of the electrolyte.