Sedimentation adsorption of a charge-regulated colloidal particle onto a large charged disk

The sedimentation adsorption of a charge-regulated colloidal particle, which simulates biocolloids such as cells, onto a large, charged disk is modeled theoretically. The influences of the parameters' key to the present problem, including the particle size, the nature of the acidic and basic functional groups on the particle surface, the initial particle-disk distance, and the surface potential of the disk, on the dynamic sedimentation behavior of the particle are investigated. The loci of a particle under various conditions are simulated to justify the specific behaviors of the phenomenon under consideration. In general, the smaller the fraction of the acidic functional groups and/or the lower the surface potential of the disk, the shorter the sedimentation time is. It is interesting to observe that the larger the particle and/or the longer the initial particle-disk distance do not necessarily lead to a longer sedimentation time.