Complex electric double layers in charged topological colloids

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

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.

• Language: English
• Keywords: physical chemistry, charged surfaces, colloids, electric double layers
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, art. no. 14119
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-103641
• UDC: 544.6/.7
• ISSN on article: 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32550-8
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3239524
• Publication date in RUL: 20.09.2018

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Scientific reports
• Shortened title: Sci. rep.
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• COBISS.SI-ID: 18727432

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 20.09.2018

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: fizikalna kemija, površinski pojavi, koloidi, električna dvojna plast

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 795377
• Name: Topological Colloidal Double Layers
• Acronym: TCDL