Simulation of Hard Particles in a Phase-Separating Binary Mixture

TL;DR

This paper presents a simulation method combining cell dynamical equations and Langevin dynamics to study how hard particles influence phase separation in binary mixtures, revealing slowed domain growth and altered morphology.

Contribution

It introduces a novel simulation approach integrating particle dynamics with phase separation modeling, highlighting the impact of hard particles on morphology and kinetics.

Findings

Particles slow down domain growth during phase separation.

Hard particles significantly alter the morphology of the mixture.

Simulation results agree qualitatively with experimental observations.

Abstract

We simulate the motion of spherical particles in a phase-separating binary mixture. By combining cell dynamical equations with Langevin dynamics for particles, we show that the addition of hard particles significantly changes both the speed and the morphology of the phase separation. At the late stage of the spinodal decomposition process, particles significantly slow down the domain growth, in qualitative agreement with earlier experimental data.