Scaling properties in the adsorption of ionic polymeric surfactants on generic nanoparticles of metallic oxides by mesoscopic simulation

Abstract

We study the scaling of adsorption isotherms of polyacrylic dispersants on generic surfaces of metallic oxides $XnOm$ as a function of the number of monomeric units, using Electrostatic Dissipative Particle Dynamics simulations. The simulations show how the scaling properties in these systems emerge and how the isotherms rescale to a universal curve, reproducing reported experimental results. The critical exponent for these systems is also obtained, in perfect agreement with the scaling theory of deGennes. Some important applications are mentioned.