Dynamical heterogeneity in a model for permanent gels: different behavior of dynamical susceptibilities.
We present a systematic study of dynamical heterogeneity in a model for permanent gels upon approaching the gelation threshold. We find that the fluctuations of the self-intermediate scattering function are increasing functions of time, reaching a plateau whose value, at large length scales, coincides with the mean cluster size and diverges at the percolation threshold. Another measure of dynamical heterogeneities-i.e., the fluctuations of the self-overlap-displays instead a peak and decays to zero at long times. The peak, however, also scales as the mean cluster size. Arguments are given for this difference in the long-time behavior. We also find that the non-Gaussian parameter reaches a plateau in the long-time limit. The value of the plateau of the non-Gaussian parameter, which is connected to the fluctuations of diffusivity of clusters, increases with the volume fraction and remains finite at the percolation threshold.
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Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli "Federico II," Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant'Angelo, via Cintia 80126 Napoli, Italy.
de Candia
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Del Gado
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Fierro
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