American Association for Aerosol Research - Abstract Submission

AAAR 36th Annual Conference
October 16 - October 20, 2017
Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

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Coagulation of Agglomerates with Polydisperse Primary Particles from Free Molecular to Transition Regime

EIRINI GOUDELI, Georgios Kelesidis, Maximilian L. Eggersdorfer, Sotiris E. Pratsinis, ETH Zurich

     Abstract Number: 209
     Working Group: Nanoparticles and Materials Synthesis

Abstract
Agglomeration of nanoparticles is encountered in both atmospheric and industrial processes as in volcanic plumes and aerosol manufacture of carbon black or fumed silica. Even though the dynamics of coagulating spherical particles, such as self-preserving size distribution (SPSD) and coagulation rate are reasonably well-understood, there is significant uncertainty for fractal-like agglomerates. For the latter, coagulation rates have been proposed, their mobility and SPSDs have been determined. All these have been confined to agglomerates with monodisperse primary particles (PPs). Realistic agglomerates, however, consist of polydisperse PPs.
Here coagulation of nanoparticles of varying PP polydispersity (σg,PP = 1 – 3) in the absence of coalescence, sintering or surface growth is investigated by a discrete element method (DEM) (Goudeli et al., 2015) from the free molecular (Goudeli et al., 2016) to transition regime. The effect of PP polydispersity on agglomerate size (radius of gyration, mobility radius and volume-equivalent radius), morphology (fractal dimension, Df, mass mobility exponent, Dfm, and their prefactors) as well as on the attainment of the well-known asymptotic fractal-like structure (Df = 1.91 and Dfm= 2.15) and SPSD is investigated. Increasing the polydispersity of the constituent PPs from σg,PP = 1 to 3 does not affect but only delays the attainment of the asymptotic Df, Dfm and SPSD of the resulting agglomerates. Furthermore, the effect of PP polydispersity on agglomerate dynamics (coagulation rate and polydispersity) is elucidated quantitatively.
Such characteristics affect the environmental impact of agglomerates (climate forcing or visibility impairment by soot) or performance of gas sensors and catalysts.

Goudeli, E., Eggersdorfer, M. L., & Pratsinis, S. E. (2015). Langmuir, 31: 1320-1327.
Goudeli, E., Eggersdorfer, M. L., & Pratsinis, S. E. (2016). Langmuir, 32: 9276-9285.