Eur. Phys. J. E (2004) 15: 133-140
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2004-10044-x

Monte Carlo simulation of particle aggregation and gelation: I. Growth, structure and size distribution of the clusters

Polyméres Colloïdes Interfaces, UMR CNRS, Université du Maine, F-72085, Le Mans cedex 9, France

^* e-mail: jean-christophe.gimel@univ-lemans.fr

Abstract

Lattice and off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion-limited cluster aggregation and gelation were done over a broad range of concentrations. The large-scale structure and the size distribution of the clusters are characterized by a crossover at a characteristic size (). For , they are the same as obtained in a dilute DLCA process and for they are the same as obtained in a static percolation process. is determined by the overlap of the clusters and decreases with increasing particle concentration. The growth rate of large clusters is a universal function of time reduced by the gel time. The large-scale structural and temporal properties are the same for lattice and off-lattice simulations. The average degree of connectivity per particle in the gels formed in off-lattice simulations is independent of the concentration, but its distribution depends on the concentration.