Complex electric double layers in charged topological colloids

Jeffrey Christopher Everts (Author), Miha Ravnik (Author)

Abstract

Charged surfaces in contact with liquids containing ions are accompanied in equilibrium by an electric double layer consisting of a layer of electric charge on the surface that is screened by a diffuse ion cloud in the bulk fluid.This screening cloud determines not only the interactions between charged colloidal particles or polyelectrolytes and their self-assembly into ordered structures, but it is also pivotal in understanding energy storage devices, such as electrochemical cells and supercapacitors. However, little is known to what spatial complexity the electric double layers can be designed. Here, we show that electric double layers of non-trivial topology and geometry -including tori, multi-tori and knots- can be realised in charged topological colloidal particles, using numerical modelling within a mean-field Poisson-Boltzmann theory.We show that the complexity of double layers -including geometry and topology- can be tuned by changing the Debye screening length of the medium, or by changing the shape and topology of the (colloidal) particle. More generally,this work is an attempt to introduce concepts of topology in the field of charged colloids, which could lead to novel exciting material design paradigms.

Keywords

fizikalna kemija;površinski pojavi;koloidi;električna dvojna plast;physical chemistry;charged surfaces;colloids;electric double layers;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2018
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
UDC:	544.6/.7
COBISS:	3239524
ISSN:	2045-2322
Views:	851
Downloads:	498
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary keywords:	fizikalna kemija;površinski pojavi;koloidi;električna dvojna plast;
Pages:	10 str.
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ8
Issue:	ǂart. no. ǂ14119
Chronology:	Sep. 2018
DOI:	10.1038/s41598-018-32550-8
ID:	10961178