Langmuir, Vol.13, No.4, 693-700, 1997
Irreversible Deposition of Colloidal Particles on an Inclined Plane in a Closed Vessel
The irreversible deposition of particles on an inclined plane in a closed vessel is investigated for the first time. It is found that, in contrast to expectations, the density of adsorbed particles is not uniform over the plane, but increases from the top to the bottom of the cell. Different deposition behavior is observed as a function of the deposition angle. This can be explained by a collective movement of the particles along the deposition plane which also induces a movement of the fluid in the cell, giving rise to the so-called Boycott effect. These are the first experiments demonstrating that this large-scale fluid movement is important at low particle concentrations, as well as at the very high particle concentrations that have been extensively studied elsewhere. The structure of the assembly of deposited particles on the surface has also been investigated and qualitatively compared to predictions of simple deposition models under gravity field and fluid now. To this end, modified distribution functions sensitive to the asymmetry of the structure have been introduced. These reveal that in a zeroth order approximation, the structure corresponds to a simple ballistic deposition model. However, a slight asymmetry in the structure is revealed. These modified distribution functions are thus a useful new tool to examine slight structural asymmetries in layers of deposited particles.
Keywords:PLATE FLOW CHAMBER;LOCALIZED ADSORPTION;STATISTICAL PROPERTIES;SETTLING TANKS;SEDIMENT FLOW;SURFACES;KINETICS;DESORPTION;GLASS;WALLS