0000000001032795
AUTHOR
Maxime Delhorme
showing 6 related works from this author
Monte Carlo Simulations of a Clay Inspired Model Suspension: The Role of Rim Charge
2012
International audience; We present a theoretical investigation of a model clay dispersion in 1-1 salt solutions by varying the particle volume fraction and ionic strength as well as the charge distribution on the clay platelets. The platelets are modeled as discs with charged sites distributed on a hexagonal lattice. The edge sites can be positively charged while the remaining sites are negative giving rise to a strong charge anisotropy. Simulations are carried out using a Monte Carlo method in the canonical ensemble. The interactions between the platelet sites are described with a screened Coulomb potential plus a short range repulsive potential. Simulations show a complex phase behavior. …
Gel, glass and nematic states of plate-like particle suspensions: charge anisotropy and size effects
2014
The influence of the charge anisotropy and platelet size on the formation of gel and glass states and nematic phases in suspensions of plate-like particles is investigated using Monte Carlo simulations in the canonical ensemble. The platelets are modeled as discs with charged sites distributed on a hexagonal lattice. The edge sites can carry a positive charge, while the remaining sites are negatively charged giving rise to a charge anisotropy. A screened Coulomb potential plus a short range repulsive potential are used to describe the interactions between the sites of the platelets. The liquid–gel transition is found to be favored by a high charge anisotropy and by large particles. Opposite…
Acid-Base Properties of 2:1 Clays. I. Modeling the Role of Electrostatics
2010
We present a theoretical investigation of the titratable charge of clays with various structural charge (sigma(b)): pyrophyllite (sigma(b) = 0 e x nm(-2)), montmorillonite (sigma(b) = -0.7 e x nm(-2)) and illite (sigma(b) = -1.2 e x nm(-2)). The calculations were carried out using a Monte Carlo method in the Grand Canonical ensemble and in the framework of the primitive model. The clay particle was modeled as a perfect hexagonal platelet, with an "ideal" crystal structure. The only fitting parameters used are the intrinsic equilibrium constants (pK(0)) for the protonation/deprotonation reactions of the broken-bond sites on the lateral faces of the clay particles, silanol, =SiO(-) + H(+) --=…
Liquid Crystal Phases in Suspensions of Charged Plate-Like Particles
2012
International audience; Anisotropic interactions in colloidal suspensions have recently emerged as a route for the design of new soft materials. Nonisotropic particles can form nematic, smectic, hexatic, and columnar liquid crystals. Although the formation of these phases is well rationalized when excluded volume is solely at play, the role of electrostatic interactions still remains unclear and even less so when particles present a charge heterogeneity, for example, clays. Here, we use Monte Carlo simulations of concentrated suspensions of charged disk-like particles to reveal the role of Coulomb interactions and charge anisotropy underlying liquid crystal formation and structures. We obse…
The growth of charged platelets.
2014
Growth models of charged nanoplatelets are investigated with Monte Carlo simulations and simple theory. In a first model, 2-dimensional simulations in the canonical ensemble are used to demonstrate that the growth of a single weakly charged platelet could be limited by its own internal repulsion. The short range attractive interaction in the crystal is modeled with a square well potential while the electrostatic interactions are described with a screened Coulomb potential. The qualitative behavior of this case can also be described by simply balancing the attractive crystal energy with the screened Coulomb repulsion between the crystal sites. This repulsion is a free energy term dominated b…
Thermodynamics and Structure of Plate-Like Particle Dispersions
2012
A considerable amount of mineral particles are found to have a plate-like shape. The work in this thesis concerns theoretical investigations, using a Monte Carlo method, of the properties of such particles in aqueous solutions. The objectives were first to create a model that could capture the essential physics of clay suspensions and also to understand the role of thermodynamics in certain chemical processes. For all investigations, the results are related to experimental studies. The acid-base behavior of clays have been studied, using the primitive model, and an excellent agreement between simulated and experimental results was found. The formation of gel phases as a function of the char…