Hamaker 2: A Toolkit for the Calculation of Particle Interactions and Suspension Stability and its Application to Mullite Synthesis by Colloidal Methods

Abstract

For modern processing of ceramics at the nanoscale, the influence of interparticle interactions in the suspended state becomes increasingly important. The Hamaker 2 program has been developed for the rapid prediction of these interactions, allowing us to gain important understanding of the often delicate balance of forces in ceramic powder suspensions. This article discusses the theoretical foundation of the implemented models and shows the benefit of this predictive approach applied to mullite production by colloidal methods.

Keywords:

• DLVO theory
• mullite
• software
• suspension stability

Notes

*Polyacrylic acid needed at basic conditions as discussed in the next section.

Present affiliation for U. A.: Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, USA.

Present affiliation for O. B.-M.: Instituto Eduardo Torroja, CSIC, Madrid, Spain.