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

Electric Field at the Surface of a Conductor01:26

Electric Field at the Surface of a Conductor

5.0K
Consider a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium. The net electric field inside a conductor vanishes, and extra charges on the conductor reside on its outer surface, regardless of where they originate.
In the 19th century, Michael Faraday conducted the famous ice pail experiment to prove that the charges always reside on the surface of a conductor. The experimental set-up consists of a conducting uncharged container mounted on an insulating stand. The outer surface of the container is...
5.0K
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics01:27

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

1.6K
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....
1.6K
DC Battery01:21

DC Battery

1.1K
A conductor needs to be a component of a path that creates a closed loop or full circuit to have a continuous current flowing through it. A current starts to flow if an electric field is created inside an isolated conductor that is not part of a full circuit. The conductor quickly develops a net positive charge at one end and a net negative charge at the other. These charges generate an electric field opposite the direction of the applied electric field, which reduces the current. Eventually,...
1.1K
Equipotential Surfaces and Conductors01:16

Equipotential Surfaces and Conductors

4.1K
For a conductor in which all charges are at rest, the conductor's surface is equipotential. The electric field is always perpendicular to equipotential surfaces. Therefore, in a conductor with static charges, the electric field just outside the conductor is always perpendicular to the conductor's surface. Any tangential component of the electric field will cause charges to move inside the conductor, which will violate the electrostatic nature of the system. In an electrostatic...
4.1K
Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

5.6K
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...
5.6K
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions01:16

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions

785
Consider an external electric field propagating through a homogeneous medium. When the electric field crosses the surface boundary of the medium, it undergoes a discontinuity. The electric field can be resolved into normal and tangential components. The amount by which the field changes at any boundary is given by the difference between the field components above and below the surface boundary.
The surface integral of an electric field is given by Gauss's law in integral form and is related to...
785

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

From fluctuating entropic neck to Rosenfeld-Adam-Gibbs crossover dynamics in supercooled liquids.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Cooperative elastic mechanism of activated structural relaxation in glassy liquids.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Memory control of ice growth during non-equilibrium freezing of water.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Why Helices Rarely Emerge in Simulations of Polymer Collapse: Geometric and Cooperative Routes to Chiral Condensates.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2026
Same author

Free-energy landscape and morphological transitions of semiflexible polymers.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Origin of the ionic-strength dependent reentrant behavior in the liquid-liquid phase separation of uncharged intrinsically disordered proteins.

Communications chemistry·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 28, 2025

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

26.9K

Water Layer at Hydrophobic Surface: Electrically Dead but Dynamically Alive?

Sayantan Mondal1, Biman Bagchi1

  • 1Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560 012, India.

Nano Letters
|November 30, 2020
PubMed
Summary

The electrically dead layer (EDL) significantly lowers the static dielectric constant (SDC) of confined water due to ordered surface molecules. This phenomenon is universal, impacting water structure and dynamics at interfaces.

Keywords:
Capacitor modelDielectric constantElectrically dead layerInterfacial waterNanoconfined waterWater dynamics

More Related Videos

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
20:38

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 28, 2008

11.8K
Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
09:39

Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination

Published on: March 1, 2020

7.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 28, 2025

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

26.9K
AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
20:38

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 28, 2008

11.8K
Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
09:39

Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination

Published on: March 1, 2020

7.7K

Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Surface Science
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • The static dielectric constant (SDC) of confined water exhibits anomalous low values.
  • Dielectric boundaries contribute partially, but the "electrically dead layer" (EDL) plays a significant role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origin of the low SDC in confined water.
  • To understand the structure and dynamics of water molecules within the EDL.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of water structure and molecular dynamics at interfaces.
  • Theoretical investigation of dielectric properties.

Main Results:

  • The EDL significantly reduces the overall SDC due to orientationally ordered surface water molecules.
  • Reduced fluctuations in collective dipole moments of surface water molecules are observed.
  • The EDL is found to be a universal phenomenon across different water-confining surfaces.

Conclusions:

  • The EDL's low SDC is primarily caused by surface-induced molecular ordering and restricted dynamics.
  • While molecularly active, the EDL's dynamics are comparable to bulk water layers.
  • Understanding the EDL is crucial for accurately modeling confined water behavior.