A computer model of the adhesion behaviour of particles at a surface

Particle adhesion at a surface depends on the interactions of several forces: van der Waals, double layer, hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Moreover, the electroviscous effect plays a relevant role. We present a model which focuses on the energy of a system formed by a surface and a particle. The energy is represented taking into account the interactions mentioned above. The conditions under which adhesion is prevented correspond to the presence of local extremes of the energy function, which represent equilibrium points, whereas the conditions under which adhesion is likely to take place correspond to the absence of local extremes.