Ballistic aggregation: an alternative approach to modeling of silica sol-gel structures

An algorithm based on ballistic aggregation is discussed as all alternative to the commonly used, much slower diffusion-based algorithms for modeling of atomic structure of silica gels. The algorithm is shown to be capable of producing a wide range of structures: from extremely porous to compact (dense) ones. The importance of capture distance as a controlling parameter is discussed. Electron microscope images of actual silica gels morphologically very similar to the rendered images of the simulated aggregates are shown. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.