Kinetics of supramolecular crystallization during formation of precious opal
V.V. Serdobintseva, D.V. Kalinin
Supramolecular crystallization of suspensions of monodisperse silica spheres (MSS) occurs by the exponential kinetic law and is described by the equation A=1–exp[–(kt)n] for a homogeneous system or Am=1–exp(–kt) for an inhomogeneous one, taking into account the degree of the system deviation from a homogeneous state (m) and the preliminary aggregation of the MSS. The crystallization rate depends mainly on the state of the charged diffusion zone of counter ions around the MSS. In nature the crystallization can last from half a day to several days.
Our e-mail