Aggregation

Definition

The collision and attachment of microscopic solid particles to each other and to surfaces, producing larger deposits.

Once solids exist they collide under flow, diffusion, and turbulence, and in concentrated waters reduced electrostatic repulsion makes more collisions stick. Metal surfaces ease this further by providing imperfections, oxide films, and roughness that anchor particles, and each adhered particle becomes a new nucleation site. This is why scale appears first on hot, high flux metal surfaces and why early solids must be kept from organizing.

Related concepts

Dispersion · Crystal Growth · Nucleation

---

Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry