Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Theory of Strong Electrolytes

Theory of Strong Electrolytes

The interionic forces of the strong electrolytes depend on the solvent's dielectric constant, which is the ability of a solvent to store electrical energy, based on its polarizability. and the solution's concentration. In high-dielectric solvents and in dilute solutions, weak electrostatic forces keep ions apart. However, in low-dielectric solvents or concentrated solutions, stronger interionic forces may cause ions to pair up as ionic doublets despite being fully ionized. The theory of strong...

Van der Waals Interactions

Van der Waals Interactions

Atoms and molecules interact with each other through intermolecular forces. These electrostatic forces arise from attractive or repulsive interactions between particles with permanent, partial, or temporary charges. The intermolecular forces between neutral atoms and molecules are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, and dispersion forces, collectively known as van der Waals forces.

Intermolecular Forces

Intermolecular Forces

Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion...

Intermolecular Forces

Intermolecular Forces

Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion...

Ionic Association

Ionic Association

The ionic association is the association of oppositely charged ions in an electrolyte solution to form ion pairs. Bjerrum defined ion pairs as two oppositely charged ions whose electrostatic attraction exceeds the thermal energy of the system, typically expressed as 2kT. Electrostatic attraction depends on ionic charge, separation distance, and the dielectric constant of the medium. Thermal energy, represented by kT, reflects the tendency of ions to move independently due to molecular motion.

The Debye–Hückel Theory of Electrolyte Solutions

The Debye–Hückel Theory of Electrolyte Solutions

The Debye–Hückel theory, established by Peter Debye and Erich Hückel in 1923, is a fundamental concept in physical chemistry. It provides an understanding of the behavior of strong electrolytes in solution, particularly explaining their deviations from ideal behavior.The theory is based on Coulombic interactions (the attraction or repulsion between charged particles) between ions in solution. In an ionic solution, oppositely charged ions tend to attract each other. This means that cations...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The effects of ionic valency and size asymmetry on counterion adsorption.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Same author

Effect of solvent structure on the Wien effect and ionic correlations at the nanoscale.

Faraday discussions·2026

Same author

Effect of charge regulation on the screening properties of zwitterionic macroion solutions.

Soft matter·2026

Same author

Anomalous proteinaceous shells with octagonal local order.

Physical review. E·2025

Same author

Enhanced diffusion over a periodic trap by hydrodynamic coupling to an elastic mode.

Communications physics·2025

Same author

Collective actuation in active solids in the presence of a polarizing field: A systematic analysis of the dynamical regimes.

Physical review. E·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone

Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone

Published on: February 23, 2017

Electrostatic interactions mediated by polarizable counterions: weak and strong coupling limits.

Vincent Démery¹, David S Dean, Rudolf Podgornik

¹Institut Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, CNRS and UPMC Université Paris 6, UMR 7190, F-75005 Paris, France.

The Journal of Chemical Physics

|November 14, 2012

Summary

This study explores how particle polarizability affects charged fluids in dielectric slabs. Polarizability significantly alters ion distribution and interactions between charged surfaces.

More Related Videos

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 28, 2008

Analysis of Protein Complex Formation at Micromolar Concentrations by Coupling Microfluidics with Mass Photometry

Analysis of Protein Complex Formation at Micromolar Concentrations by Coupling Microfluidics with Mass Photometry

Published on: January 26, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone

Merging Ion Concentration Polarization between Juxtaposed Ion Exchange Membranes to Block the Propagation of the Polarization Zone

Published on: February 23, 2017

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 28, 2008

Analysis of Protein Complex Formation at Micromolar Concentrations by Coupling Microfluidics with Mass Photometry

Analysis of Protein Complex Formation at Micromolar Concentrations by Coupling Microfluidics with Mass Photometry

Published on: January 26, 2024

Area of Science:

Statistical mechanics
Condensed matter physics
Physical chemistry

Background:

Understanding charged fluids near interfaces is crucial for colloid science and materials.
Particle polarizability is a key property influencing electrostatic interactions.
Dielectric slab geometries with charged boundaries model realistic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the statistical mechanics of a polarizable inhomogeneous Coulomb fluid.
To analyze density profiles and disjoining pressure in a planar dielectric slab.
To compare the effects of polarizability versus non-polarizable counterions.

Main Methods:

Derivation of weak- and strong-coupling approximations.
Evaluation of the partition function for a planar dielectric slab geometry.
Analysis of counterion density distribution and electrostatic interactions.

Main Results:

Polarizability introduces significant differences in counterion density profiles.
Electrostatic interactions between charged interfaces are notably modified by polarizability.
Disjoining pressure is affected by the inclusion of static polarizability.

Conclusions:

Static polarizability is a critical factor in the behavior of inhomogeneous Coulomb fluids.
The findings provide insights into ion-surface interactions in polarizable media.
This work advances the understanding of electrostatic phenomena in dielectric environments.