Issue 4, 2012

Aggregation kinetics and gel formation in modestly concentrated suspensions of oppositely charged model ceramic colloids: a numerical study

Abstract

Aggregation kinetics and gel formation in aqueous suspensions that undergo heteroaggregation are studied by means of Brownian dynamics simulations. The simulated system, described in a previous paper [M. A. Piechowiak, A. Videcoq, F. Rossignol, C. Pagnoux, C. Carrion, M. Cerbelaud, R. Ferrando, Langmuir, 2010, 26(15), 12540–12547.], is constituted of two kinds of synthesized, almost equally sized colloids: silica particles that are negatively charged and alumina-coated silica particles that are positively charged. The interactions between colloids are modeled by the DLVO potential. Several compositions are analyzed, from silica-rich to alumina-rich cases. The particle volume fraction ϕ is varied in the range 6–12%. The study of the aggregation kinetics allows us to clarify the effect of those variations on the clustering process. Gelation is analyzed by detection of spanning clusters in each x-, y-, z-direction of the cubic simulation box. Percolating networks start to be observed from ϕ = 7%, a low value of the volume fraction close to the solid volume fraction experimentally measured in sediments of those suspensions.

Graphical abstract: Aggregation kinetics and gel formation in modestly concentrated suspensions of oppositely charged model ceramic colloids: a numerical study

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Sep 2011
Accepted
17 Nov 2011
First published
12 Dec 2011

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012,14, 1431-1439

Aggregation kinetics and gel formation in modestly concentrated suspensions of oppositely charged model ceramic colloids: a numerical study

M. A. Piechowiak, A. Videcoq, R. Ferrando, D. Bochicchio, C. Pagnoux and F. Rossignol, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, 14, 1431 DOI: 10.1039/C1CP22980J

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