Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2011
Carbon black in a polymer melt was used to model self-organized processes. A gradual growth of ionic concentration in the polymer melt induced a complex behavior, including a rapid increase in AC conductivity after a time delay. Colloid theory can provide an effective interpretation. The metamorphoses of the carbon black assembly include soft axial order generation, soft lateral order generation, axial condensation, and lateral condensation of carbon black particles, respectively. Similar processes are expected to be effective in generating complex carbonaceous organic structures in natural water.