Thermodynamics and kinetics of competing aggregation processes in a simple model system

A simple model system has been used to develop thermodynamics and kinetics for bulk and surface aggregation processes capable of competing with each other. The processes are the stepwise aggregation of monomers in a fluid medium and on an inpenetrable solid surface bounding the fluid medium, besides the adsorption and desorption of the same species at the solid-fluid interface. Emphasis is on aggregation processes in the high friction limit. The theoretical model is used to compare the kinetics and thermodynamics of the processes and to infer the conditions in which one process dominates another, in the high friction limit, such as in a liquid. The motivation of this study is obtaining insight into competition between aggregation in solution and on an adjoining surface, such as a cell membrane. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.