Adsorption and diffusion in a one-dimensional potential well

Abstract

We investigate the adsorption and diffusion of colloidal particles at an interface containing a one-dimensional potential well. It is observed how the adsorption kinetics onto the wall is altered with time, and one observes the formation of a particle chain. We find that the time it takes for a bead to penetrate into the chain depends strongly on the particle density, and beyond a critical value this time diverges. We also study diffusion within the well, and find that at low particle densities the short time behavior is governed by normal Fickian diffusion.