Fractal colloidal aggregates with finite interparticle interactions: Energy dependence of the fractal dimension

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Abstract
We have studied the aggregation of colloidal gold particles with finite interparticle attraction energies with static light scattering and the combination of conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM. The finite interparticle attraction energies are achieved by adding a surfactant in the suspension via adsorption. The interparticle interaction can be changed by changing the amount of the surfactant. Using a modified Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory to describe the interparticle interaction, we show that (i) the aggregates of colloidal particles can still be fractal objects with a finite interparticle attraction and (ii) the fractal dimension changes with the interparticle attraction energy, in agreement with the computer simulations of Shih, Aksay, and Kikuchi [Phys. Rev. A 36, 5015 (1987)].

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