Fluctuating Bond Aggregation: a Model for Chemical Gel Formation

Abstract

The Diffusion-Limited Cluster-Cluster Aggregation (DLCA) model is modified by including cluster deformations using the {\it bond fluctuation} algorithm. From 3$d$ computer simulations, it is shown that, below a given threshold value $c_g$ of the volumic fraction $c$, the realization of all intra-aggregate bonding possibilities prevents the formation of a gelling network. For $c>c_g$, the sol-gel transition occurs at a time $t_g$ which, in contrast to DLCA, doesnot diverge with the box size. Several results are reported including small angle scattering curves and possible applications are discussed.

RevTex, 9 pages + 3 postscript figures appended using "uufiles". To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

References in corpus (1)

• Small Angle Scattering by Fractal Aggregates: A Numerical Investigation of the Crossover Between the Fractal Regime and the Porod Regime

Cited by in corpus (3)

• A unifying model for chemical and colloidal gels
• Percolation in Cluster-Cluster Aggregation Processes
• Fluctuations in Chemical Gelation