Process of contact and adhesion whereby dispersed particles are held together by weak physical interactions ultimately leading to phase separation by the formation of precipitates of larger than colloidal size.
Notes: - Agglomeration is a reversible process.
- The definition proposed here is recommended for distinguishing agglomeration from aggregation.
Source:
PAC, 2007, 79, 1801. 'Definitions of terms relating to the structure and processing of sols, gels, networks, and inorganic-organic hybrid materials (IUPAC Recommendations 2007)' on page 1821 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac200779101801)