Relation between aggregation kinetics and the structure of kaolinite aggregates

Dynamic and static light scattering were applied to the determination of the stability ratio and fractal dimension of kaolinite (KGa-2) at different kaolinite or/and electrolyte concentrations at pH 9.5. Dynamic light scattering was used to measure the kinetics of early stage aggregation to determine the stability ratio, W, as well as the cluster sizes which determine the fractal regime. Static light scattering was used to measure the fractal dimension, D(f). Results show that the two classes of "universality" (Lin et al. Nature 1989, 339, 360) characterizing the diffusion- and reaction-limited regimes of cluster-cluster aggregation do apply to colloidal kaolinite as limit cases when W approximately 1 or W > 100, respectively. In the intermediate regime where 5 < W < 100, the growth of the aggregate radius showed a power-law behavior similar to diffusion-limited cluster aggregation. For the intermediate aggregation regime, a scaling relation between fractal dimension and stability ratio, reflecting a continuous increase in particle packing density in the aggregate as the sticking probability of particles was reduced, was demonstrated.