EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF THE AGGREGATE STRUCTURES FORMED IN THE BOUNDARY-LAYER OF WATER AIR PHASES

Two-dimensional aggregation of surface-modified glass beads was carried out in the boundary layer of water-air phases. The effect of the hydrophobicity of the beads on the structure of forming aggregates and on the growth process was investigated. The structure of the aggregates and their growth were characterized by a density function which expresses the change of mean density of the aggregates as a function of size. The growth yielded fractal or non-fractal structures in the systems studied. The fractal structure of the aggregates was dependent on restructuring processes controlled by the surface properties of the beads.