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Title: Beyond the Debye–Hückel limit: Toward a general theory for concentrated electrolytes

Journal Article · · Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0238708 · OSTI ID:2481637

The phenomenon of underscreening in concentrated electrolyte solutions leads to a larger decay length of the charge–charge correlation than the prediction of Debye–Hückel (DH) theory and has found a resurgence of both theoretical and experimental interest in the chemical physics community. To systematically understand and investigate this phenomenon in electrolytes requires a theory of concentrated electrolytes to describe charge–charge correlations beyond the DH theory. We review the theories of electrolytes that can transition from the DH limit to concentrations where charge correlations dominate, giving rise to underscreening and the associated Kirkwood Transitions (KTs). In this perspective, we provide a conceptual approach to a theoretical formulation of electrolyte solutions that exploits the competition between molecular-informed short-range (SR) and long-range interactions. We demonstrate that all deviations from the DH limit for real electrolyte solutions can be expressed through a single function Σ(Q) that can be determined both theoretically and numerically. Importantly, Σ(Q) can be directly related to the details of SR interactions and, therefore, can be used as a tool to understand how differences in representations of interaction can influence collective effects. The precise function form of Σ(Q) can be inferred through a Gaussian field theory of both the number and charge densities. The resulting formulation is validated by experiment and can accurately describe the collective phenomenon of screening in concentrated bulk electrolytes. Importantly, the Gaussian field theory predictions of the screening lengths appear to be less than ~1 nm at concentrations above KTs.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
2481637
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--203397
Journal Information:
Journal of Chemical Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Chemical Physics Journal Issue: 23 Vol. 161; ISSN 0021-9606
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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