Nonequilibrium adsorption of 2AnB patchy colloids on substrates

TL;DR

This study investigates the irreversible adsorption behavior of 2AnB patchy colloids on substrates, analyzing how different binding probabilities and patch configurations influence network growth and density profiles.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed characterization of patch-colloid network growth, identifying growth regimes and a mode diagram based on colloid parameters and binding probabilities.

Findings

Two distinct growth regimes identified.

Density profiles show a depletion zone near the substrate.

Network density depends on colloid parameters.

Abstract

We study the irreversible adsorption of spherical $2AnB$ patchy colloids (with two $A$-patches on the poles and $n$ $B$-patches along the equator) on a substrate. In particular, we consider dissimilar $AA$, $AB$, and $BB$ binding probabilities. We characterize the patch-colloid network and its dependence on $n$ and on the binding probabilities. Two growth regimes are identified with different density profiles and we calculate a growth mode diagram as a function of the colloid parameters. We also find that, close to the substrate, the density of the network, which depends on the colloid parameters, is characterized by a depletion zone.