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Charge compensation at the interface between the polar NaCl(111) surface and a NaCl aqueous solution

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Zhang, C 

Abstract

Periodic supercell models of electric double layers formed at the interface between a charged surface and an electrolyte are subject to serious finite size errors and require certain adjustments in the treatment of the long-range electrostatic interactions. In a previous publication Zhang and Sprik [Phys. Rev. B 94, 245309 (2016)], we have shown how this can be achieved using finite field methods. The test system was the familiar simple point charge model of a NaCl aqueous solution confined between two oppositely charged walls. Here this method is extended to the interface between the (111) polar surface of a NaCl crystal and a high concentration NaCl aqueous solution. The crystal is kept completely rigid and the compensating charge screening the polarization can only be provided by the electrolyte. We verify that the excess electrolyte ionic charge at the interface conforms to the Tasker 1/2 rule for compensating charge in the theory of polar rock salt (111) surfaces. The interface can be viewed as an electric double layer with a net charge. We define a generalized Helmholtz capacitance CH which can be computed by varying the applied electric field. We find CH=8.23 μF cm-2, which should be compared to the 4.23 μF cm-2 for the (100) non-polar surface of the same NaCl crystal. This is rationalized by the observation that compensating ions shed their first solvation shell adsorbing as contact ions pairs on the polar surface.

Description

Keywords

physics.chem-ph, physics.chem-ph

Journal Title

The Journal of Chemical Physics

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0021-9606
1089-7690

Volume Title

147

Publisher

AIP Publishing
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (1800796)
T.S. is supported by a departmental studentship (No. RG84040) sponsored by the Engineering and Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United Kingdom. The Research fellowship (No. ZH 477/1-1) provided by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for C.Z. is gratefully acknowledged.