Abstract
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-Hckel 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-Hckel theory, leads to qualitatively incorrect results.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 034702 |
| Journal | Journal of Chemical Physics |
| Volume | 135 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 21 2011 |
Funding
We thank the DDR&E and the AFOSR under Award No. FA9550-10-1-0167 and the NERC, which is an EFRC funded by Department of Energy (DOE) under Award No. DE-SC0000989, for financial support, and William Kung for critical reading of this manuscript.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry