Disjoining pressure of discrete surface charges on thin aqueous films

Phys Rev Lett. 2002 Oct 7;89(15):156102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.156102. Epub 2002 Sep 20.

Abstract

The disjoining pressure of charged parallel interfaces confining an electrolyte solution is to a large extent determined by the screening clouds of the surface charges. We evaluate the pressure in terms of the number density sigma of discrete charges and film thickness d and find, at sigmad(2) approximately 1, a crossover from the well-known law P approximately sigma(2) to a linear behavior P approximately sigma. For the latter case, each surface charge results in strongly inhomogeneous pressure profiles at both interfaces.

MeSH terms

  • Biophysics / methods
  • Cations / chemistry
  • Electrolytes / chemistry
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Pressure
  • Solutions
  • Static Electricity
  • Surface Properties
  • Thermodynamics
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Cations
  • Electrolytes
  • Solutions
  • Water