The non-equilibrium charge screening effects in diffusion-driven systems with pattern formation

The effects of non-equilibrium charge screening in mixtures of oppositely charged interacting molecules on surfaces are analyzed in a closed system. The dynamics of charge screening and the strong deviation from the standard Debye-Hückel theory are demonstrated via a new formalism based on computing...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of chemical physics 2011-07, Vol.135 (3), p.034702-034702-6
Main Authors: Kuzovkov, V. N., Kotomin, E. A., de la Cruz, M. Olvera
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The effects of non-equilibrium charge screening in mixtures of oppositely charged interacting molecules on surfaces are analyzed in a closed system. The dynamics of charge screening and the strong deviation from the standard Debye-Hückel theory are demonstrated via a new formalism based on computing radial distribution functions suited for analyzing both short-range and long-range spacial ordering effects. At long distances the inhomogeneous molecular distribution is limited by diffusion, whereas at short distances (of the order of several coordination spheres) by a balance of short-range (Lennard-Jones) and long-range (Coulomb) interactions. The non-equilibrium charge screening effects in transient pattern formation are further quantified. It is demonstrated that the use of screened potentials, in the spirit of the Debye-Hückel theory, leads to qualitatively incorrect results.
ISSN:0021-9606
1089-7690
DOI:10.1063/1.3613622