Shear-induced reaction-limited aggregation kinetics of Brownian particles at arbitrary concentrations
Abstract
The aggregation of interacting Brownian particles in sheared concentrated suspensions is an important issue in colloid and soft matter science per se. Also, it serves as a model to understand biochemical reactions occurring in vivo where both crowding and shear play an important role. We present an effective medium approach within the Smoluchowski equation with shear which allows one to calculate the encounter kinetics through a potential barrier under shear at arbitrary colloid concentrations. Experiments on a model colloidal system in simple shear flow support the validity of the model in the concentration range considered. By generalizing Kramers' rate theory to the presence of shear and collective hydrodynamics, our model explains the significant increase in the shear-induced reaction-limited aggregation kinetics upon increasing the colloid concentration.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Chemical Physics
- Pub Date:
- April 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.3361665
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1004.2235
- Bibcode:
- 2010JChPh.132m4903Z
- Keywords:
-
- aggregation;
- Brownian motion;
- colloids;
- reaction kinetics theory;
- shear flow;
- soft matter;
- suspensions;
- 82.70.Dd;
- 05.40.Jc;
- 82.70.Kj;
- 82.20.Ej;
- Colloids;
- Brownian motion;
- Emulsions and suspensions;
- Quantum theory of reaction cross section;
- Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter
- E-Print:
- The Journal of Chemical Physics 132, 134903 (2010)