Deposition of aggregated nanoparticles--a theoretical and experimental study on the effect of aggregation state on the affinity between nanoparticles and a collector surface.

Theoretical and experimental approaches were employed to study the effect of aggregation on the affinity between nanoparticles (NPs) and a flat surface that is quantified by the attachment efficiency. Computer simulations were used to generate virtual aggregates formed via either diffusion limited cluster aggregation or reaction limited cluster aggregation. The colloidal interactions between the simulated aggregates and a flat surface were evaluated based on the surface element integration approach. It was found that the strength of colloidal interaction for the aggregated NPs was on the same order of magnitude as those for the primary particles and was significantly weaker than that for an equivalent sphere defined by the gyration radius of the aggregate. The results from the deposition experiments using quartz crystal microbalance suggested that the attachment efficiencies (unfavorable deposition) for aggregated NPs were higher at the initial stage but later became similar to that of the primary NPs when equilibrium deposition was reached. The high initial affinity was postulated to be attributable to secondary minimum deposition. These results suggest that it is the size of the primary particles, not that of the aggregates, that determines the strength of the colloidal interaction between the aggregate and an environmental surface.

Duke Scholars

Author Mark Wiesner Civil and Environmental Engineering