Photostimulated Aggregation of Metal Aerosols

The effect of optical radiation on the rate of aggregation of nanoscopic particles is studied in metal aerosols. It has been shown that under light exposure, polydisperse metal aerosols can aggregate up to two orders faster due to the size dependent photoelectron effect from nanoparticles. Different size nanoparticles undergo mutual heteropolar charging when exchanging photoelectrons through the interparticle medium to result in an increased rate of aggregation. It is shown that long-range electrostatic attractive forces drive the particles into closer distances where the short-range Van-der-Waals forces become dominating. Attention is drawn to the fact that this effect may occur in various types of dispersed systems as well as in natural heteroaerosols.