The effect of DLVO and hydrophobic energies on the aggregation of particles in solution

Cell adhesion is critical for the assembly of cells into tissues and in the maintenance of tissue integrity. Cell adhesion mechanisms play a key role in cell organisation into specific 3-D patterns, forming 3-D structures. The dynamics of the aggregation process of particles in solution can be described by the coagulation rate, which depends mainly on the temperature and on the viscosity of the medium in which particles are immersed in. The coagulation rate is not constant, but becomes orders of magnitude smaller when an energy barrier is present in the curve representing the total interaction energy as a function of the distance between two particles. We present a computer based approach which shows the influence of the potential energy maximum on the coagulation rate. The total interaction energy is represented both according to the DLVO theory of colloidal stability, and taking into account DLVO energies and hydrophobic energy, so the influence of the presence of hydrophobic energy on the aggregation rate can be evaluated.