Hybrid superaggregate morphology as a result of aggregation in a cluster-dense aerosol

Abstract

From the digitized pictures of soot clusters formed after the explosion of a hydrocarbon gas mixed with oxygen, the cluster morphology was determined by two different methods: structure factor and perimeter analysis. We find a hybrid, superaggregate morphology characterized by a fractal dimension of D approximately equal to 1.8 between the monomer size, ca. 50 nm, and 1 microm and D approximately equal to 2.6 at larger length scales up to approximately 10 microm. The superaggregate morphology is a consequence of late-stage aggregation in a cluster-dense regime near a gel point.