English

A modified Poisson-Boltzmann theory: Effects of co-solvent polarizability

Soft Condensed Matter 2015-09-02 v2

Abstract

In this paper within a field-theoretical approach taking into account explicitly a co-solvent with a nonzero dipole and a polarizability tensor, we derive a modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation. Applying the modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation, we formulate a generalized Gouy-Chapman theory for the case when an electrolyte solution is mixed with a polar co-solvent having a large polarizability. We show that an increase of the co-solvent concentration as well as the co-solvent polarizability lead to a significant increase of differential capacitance at sufficiently high surface potentials of the electrode, whereas the profile of the electrostatic potential becomes considerably more long-ranged. On the contrary, an increase in the permanent dipole of the co-solvent only weakly affects the differential capacitance.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1505.02266,
  title  = {A modified Poisson-Boltzmann theory: Effects of co-solvent polarizability},
  author = {Y. A. Budkov and A. L. Kolesnikov and M. G. Kiselev},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1505.02266},
  year   = {2015}
}