Structure and Internal Stresses of Adhesive and Cohesive Frictional Gels

Materials such as yogurt, cement, and cosmetics require complex particle interactions which result in different mechanical responses depending on the material. To better mimic complex interactions in these materials, we have started to explore the inclusion of adhesive and cohesive interactions in the presence of friction. The interactions between particles are described by either the Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov (DMT) or the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) models. The internal stress distributions and the structure of these gels varies depending on the model used to describe them, suggesting that the mechanical response will be different. We use Brownian molecular dynamics simulations to study the variation in gelation kinetics and rheological response of gels created by the DMT and JKR models.