| dc.description.abstract | Particle interactions in complex colloidal systems are essential in a variety of traditional and emerging
industrial processes. This thesis applied the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO)
theory to calculate the interactions between particles of different shapes and surface morphologies under
different conditions. The past constructed models systematically assessed the critical roles of surface
topography on the interfacial interactions of particles of various sizes and shapes. In this research, the
surface morphology (via considering asperity size and number, randomness, fractional dimension, and
fractional roughness), particle size, particle aspect ratio, particle shape (spherical and ellipsoidal),
orientation angle, particle softness, and geometrical structure (solid and hollow) were considered as
primary variables in constructing particles. Then, the interaction of assembled particles was simulated
according to the rippled particle theory, fractal geometry theory, and three-step model combined with
the surface element integral technique. Overall, it was discovered that the shape of particles played a
critical role in controlling the interfacial behavior of particles and ellipsoidal particles had more
interaction than spherical ones did. The present numerical model also predicted that deformable
particles interact more aggressively than rigid particles. Additionally, the simulated results showed that
the constructed hollow deformable particles were more easily aggregated compared with the solid ones.
As the present work included important parameters of particles found in naturally or industrially
produced colloidal systems, such as sludge particles, bacteria, or viruses, the results of this work will
provide a guideline for simulating the behavior of such colloidal systems accurately, which can be used
in the design of industrial processes or understanding behavior of natural phenomenon. | en_US |
