Monte Carlo Simulation of Gas Phase Particle Formation and Sintering

A Monte Carlo model has been developed to describe the gas phase formation and sintering of nanoclusters. Sintering was incorporated into the model by modifying Kadanoff's algorithm {xc[1]} for random particle walks on the surface of the cluster. The effect of restructuring and sintering on cluster-cluster aggregation have been investigated via 2d simulations. In the initial stages the sintering process results in clusters which are compact on small length scales. As time progresses and the clusters become larger, the sintering process slows down and the fractal dimension of the clusters is decreased. The model shows the effect of time and temperature on the specific surface area and size distribution of clusters.