M. Laradji et al., MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS OF PHASE-SEPARATION IN THE PRESENCE OFSURFACTANTS, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics, 50(2), 1994, pp. 1243-1252
The dynamics of phase separation in two-dimensional binary mixtures di
luted by surfactants is studied by means of molecular dynamics simulat
ions. In contrast to pure binary systems, characterized by an algebrai
c time dependence of the average domain size, we find that systems con
taining surfactants exhibit nonalgebraic, slow dynamics. The average d
omain size eventually saturates at a value inversely proportional to t
he surfactant concentration. We also find that phase separation in sys
tems with different surfactant concentrations follow a crossover scali
ng form. Finally, although these systems do not fully phase separate,
we observe a dynamical scaling which is independent of the surfactant
concentration. The results of these simulations are in general in agre
ement with previous Langevin simulations [Laradji, Guo, Grant, and Zuc
kermann, J. Phys. A 44, L629 (1991)] and a theory of Ostwald ripening
[Yao and Laradji, Phys. Rev. E 47, 2695 (1993)].