Morphology and kinetics of random sequential adsorption of superballs: From hexapods to cubes

Superballs represent a class of particles whose shapes are defined by the domain vertical bar x vertical bar(2p) + vertical bar y vertical bar(2p) + vertical bar z vertical bar(2p) <= R-2p, with p is an element of (0,infinity) being the deformation parameter. 0 < p < 0.5 represents a family of hexapodlike (concave octahedral-like) particles, 0.5 <= p < 1 and p > 1 represent, respectively, families of convex octahedral-like and cubelike particles, with p = 1, 0.5, and 8 representing spheres, octahedra, and cubes. Colloidal zeolite suspensions, catalysis, and adsorption, as well as biomedical magnetic nanoparticles are but a few of the applications of packing of superballs. We introduce a universal method for simulating random sequential adsorption of superballs, which we refer to as the low-entropy algorithm, which is about two orders of magnitude faster than the conventional algorithms that represent high-entropy methods. The two algorithms yield, respectively, precise estimates of the jamming fraction phi(infinity)(p) and nu(p), the exponent that characterizes the kinetics of adsorption at long times t, phi(infinity)(p) - phi(p, t) similar to t(-nu(p)). Precise estimates of phi(infinity)(p) and nu(p) are obtained and shown to be in agreement with the existing analytical and numerical results for certain types of superballs.