ADSORPTION OF COLLOID PARTICLES AT PARTIALLY COVERED SURFACES

The adsorption kinetics of negatively charged polystyrene latex at mic a surface precovered with smaller sized (submicrometer) latex particle s was investigated experimentally. The direct microscope observation m ethod combined with the impinging jet technique was used in this study . Experimental results were presented concerning the initial flux and adsorption kinetics of larger particles at surfaces partially covered with smaller sized latex particles. The experimental results were inte rpreted in terms of the Monte Carlo simulations performed using the ra ndom sequential adsorption (RSA) model. Limiting analytical solutions for predicting the initial flux and adsorption kinetics were also form ulated. It was found that the experimental results were in good agreem ent with theoretical predictions( derived for hard particle interactio n potential). This confirmed the hypothesis that small colloid particl es present in low concentration at surfaces considerably diminish adso rption rates of larger particles. (C) 1997 Academic Press.