Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Electrical Double Layer01:30

The Electrical Double Layer

160
In the region where two bulk phases meet, an intricate electric charge distribution arises due to charge transfer, ion adsorption, molecular orientation, and charge distortion. This complex distribution is commonly referred to as the electrical double layer.When a solid electrode interfaces with ions in an electrolyte solution, the speed of electron transfer dictates the rates of oxidation and reduction. The electrode acquires a charge through the escape of atoms into the solution as cations or...
160
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

20.7K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
20.7K
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics01:27

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

2.1K
When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity....
2.1K
Intermolecular Forces03:13

Intermolecular Forces

77.0K
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...
77.0K
Intermolecular Forces03:13

Intermolecular Forces

19.5K
19.5K
Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

6.5K
The presence of a dielectric medium in a capacitor not only changes the voltage and capacitance but also affects the electric field. In general, dielectrics can be of two types: polar and nonpolar. In a polar dielectric, the positive and negative charges in the molecules are separated by a distance and hence have a permanent dipole moment. In contrast, no such charge separation exists in a nonpolar dielectric, however the nonpolar molecules get polarized in the presence of an external electric...
6.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Assessing Cumulative Mental Fatigue via EEG-Based Machine Learning in a Multiday High-Intensity Contest.

Journal of integrative neuroscience·2026
Same author

Engineering the Self-Assembly of Bacterial Microcompartment Shell Proteins via Charged Mutations.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

Solvent-Dependent Mechanical Response of De Novo Helix Repeat Proteins.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2026
Same author

Mechanophore cross-linking enhances ballistic energy dissipation of polymers.

Nature·2026
Same author

Peptide-Ligand Cooperative Interplay Drives Gold Nanoparticle Encapsulation by Protein Cages.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026
Same author

Role of Polymer-Protein Interactions in the Dynamics of Polymer-Integrated Protein Crystals.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
10:03

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids

Published on: September 30, 2014

27.3K

Ionic structure in liquids confined by dielectric interfaces.

Yufei Jing1, Vikram Jadhao1, Jos W Zwanikken1

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|November 23, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Understanding ion behavior in confined liquids is key for nanoscale assembly. This study reveals layered ionic structures due to competing forces, impacting materials science and energy storage applications.

More Related Videos

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
06:26

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

7.7K
Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy
11:03

Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Published on: July 14, 2022

4.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2026

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids
10:03

The Preparation of Electrohydrodynamic Bridges from Polar Dielectric Liquids

Published on: September 30, 2014

27.3K
Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
06:26

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

7.7K
Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy
11:03

Nanoscale Characterization of Liquid-Solid Interfaces by Coupling Cryo-Focused Ion Beam Milling with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

Published on: July 14, 2022

4.2K

Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Ion behavior in confined liquids is crucial for macromolecular assembly in biological and synthetic systems.
  • Macromolecule-liquid interfaces are often modeled as dielectric boundaries, with ionic structure being a key research area.
  • Understanding confined ionic structure has implications for energy storage (supercapacitors) and wastewater treatment (metal ion extraction).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compute the ionic structure in an electrolyte confined by two planar dielectric interfaces.
  • To investigate the influence of high electrolyte concentrations, multivalent ions, dielectric contrasts, and external electric fields on ionic distributions.
  • To analyze the interplay between electrostatic, steric, and thermal forces in shaping ionic structure.

Main Methods:

  • Molecular dynamics simulations.
  • Liquid state theory.
  • Analysis of ionic density profiles and their relationship to interfacial properties.

Main Results:

  • Observed non-monotonic ionic density profiles indicating a layered fluid structure.
  • Attributed layering to the competition between electrostatic and steric (entropic) interactions.
  • Found that thermal forces, arising from interface symmetry breaking, significantly impact ionic structure, sometimes overriding dielectric effects.
  • Demonstrated that ionic correlations and inhomogeneous dielectric permittivity alter the effective interaction between interfaces.

Conclusions:

  • Confined ionic structure is a complex interplay of multiple forces, including electrostatic, steric, and thermal effects.
  • Thermal forces play a critical role in determining ionic distributions, particularly near interfaces.
  • The findings advance the understanding of nanoscale phenomena relevant to materials design and industrial applications.