Percolation and jamming in structures built through sequential deposition of particles

Area of Science:

• Surface science
• Statistical physics
• Materials science

Background:

• Attractive interactions between surface particles influence clustering and ordering.
• Jamming occurs when no more particles fit, with random sequential adsorption (RSA) showing the lowest jamming limit.
• Percolation is achieved when clusters connect into a single structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate jamming limits and percolation thresholds in particle structures with surface diffusion and attractive forces.
• To explore how varying attractive forces impact structure formation.
• To present jamming limits and percolation thresholds as a function of temperature or attractive interaction strength.

Main Methods:

• Monte Carlo simulations were employed to model structures built via sequential particle deposition.
• Surface diffusion and varying degrees of attractive forces were incorporated into the simulations.
• Jamming limits and percolation thresholds were systematically calculated.

Main Results:

• Higher attractive interaction strengths resulted in increased percolation densities.
• Stronger attractive forces led to higher jamming limits.
• Results were visualized in a temperature-dependent diagram, covering a range from low to high temperatures (RSA limit).

Conclusions:

• Attractive forces play a crucial role in determining the percolation and jamming behavior of surface-adsorbed particle structures.
• The jamming limit and percolation threshold are directly correlated with the strength of attractive interactions.
• The study provides a comprehensive phase diagram illustrating these relationships across different temperature regimes.