# Random sequential adsorption of spheres on a cylinder

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how spheres randomly pack onto a long cylinder, analyzing the maximum coverage and structural patterns, and verifies predictions through experiments with colloidal microspheres attaching to wires.

## Contribution

It introduces a combined analytical and numerical approach to determine the asymptotic coverage of spheres on a cylinder based on the sphere-to-cylinder size ratio, including experimental validation.

## Key findings

- Derived the asymptotic fractional coverage as a function of size ratio.
- Identified weak chiral ordering at small scales.
- Validated predictions with colloidal microsphere experiments.

## Abstract

Inspired by observations of beads packed on a thin string in such systems as sea-grapes and dental plaque, we study the random sequential adsorption of spheres on a cylinder. We determine the asymptotic fractional coverage of the cylinder as a function of the sole parameter in the problem, the ratio of the sphere radius to the cylinder radius (for a very long cylinder) using a combination of analysis and numerical simulations. Examining the asymptotic structures, we find weak chiral ordering on sufficiently small spatial scales. Experiments involving colloidal microspheres that can attach irreversibly to a silica wire via electrostatic forces or DNA hybridization allow us to verify our predictions for the asymptotic coverage.