Exploration of Flexible Aggregate Mobility - Size Dependence and Fluid Penetration Depth Over a wide range of fractal dimensions using Stokesian Dynamics

The hydrodynamic behavior of flexible fractal aggregates has important applications in the chemical industry and biotechnology. The dependence of the mobility radius with respect to different fractal dimensions and fluid penetration depth for different interparticle interactions can be characterized by the method of Stokesian dynamics (SD), which is a powerful tool that accounts for all orders of monomer-monomer interactions.

In this work, fractals are created by various mechanisms such as the Diffusion Limited Aggregation (DLA), Cluster-Cluster Aggregation (CCA), Tunable Monte Carlo (TMC) with fractal dimensions ranging from 1.76 to 3 with varying interparticle potentials will be considered. The resistance faced by the cluster is expected to directly relate to the penetration of fluid into the cluster. Hydrodynamic properties of clusters with similar geometrical parameters but governed by different interparticle interactions will be characterized compared with a previous study on rigid fractals (Amalaruban et al., 2022). 

 

 

This proposed methodology allows for a quick assessment of the hydrodynamic properties of a wide variety of aggregates.