Modeling arrested cluster growth in quenched nanoparticle solutions

We have carried out numerical simulations on a model of phase separation in a binary mixture in the presence of a third, surface-active component. Based on this model we study phase separation in a quenched solution of gold nanoparticles with dodecane thiol ligands in a mixed solvent of butanone and toluene. In our model gold nanoparticles-butanone correspond to the generic binary mixture, while toluene is modeled as a surface-active third component. Our results show that the surface-active component acts as an inhibitor for the phase separation process but its effect decreases with the increase in quench temperature. Simulation results are consistent with two major findings in recent experiments: (a) growth of gold nanoparticle clusters gets arrested at late times and (b) the saturation value of the cluster size is smaller at lower temperatures of quench.