Surface fine structure influence on saturated random packings.

Abstract

Random packings of disks on a mesh are studied numerically using random sequential adsorption algorithm. The mesh is built of straight horizontal and vertical one-dimensional lines of a given distance between them. The packing fraction and structure as well as the kinetics of packing growth dependence on mesh size are analyzed to provide information, whether surface inhomogeneity will affect the properties of random packings. It has been shown that the number of disks in a packing slightly decreases with growing distance between mesh lines while the kinetics may change significantly even for very dense meshes. As packings obtained in random sequential adsorption resemble monolayers produced by irreversible adsorption processes, results of this study show that by measuring properties of a random packing it may be possible to determine fine structure of an underlying surface.