Charge Separation at the Evaporation (Condensation) Front of Water and Ice. Charging of Spherical Droplets

Charge separation at evaporation (condensation) front of water and ice is analyzed. Relatively low distribution coefficient of protons and hydroxide ions between vapor and condensed phase that is less than the distribution coefficient of water molecules leads to accumulation of protons and hydroxide ions at the phase front upon evaporation and a decrease in the amount of such species upon condensation. Interphase charge separation is caused by the subsequent diffusion of nonequilibrium protons and hydroxide ions. The charge separation is also affected by the double electric layer generated by orientation defects at the water and ice surfaces. Dependences of electric field at a plane surface of water and ice on the rate of phase transformation are calculated. Electric charges of spherical water droplets are estimated at different field strengths and droplet radii.     

Electro-optical transitions in a semiconductor cylindrical nanolayer

The single-electron states in a quantized cylindrical layer have been considered in the presence of a moderate homogeneous electric field, when the energy imparted to a charge carrier by the electric field becomes comparable to the energy of rotational motion of this particle. The corresponding energy spectrum and the envelopes of the wave functions of charge carriers in the layer have been obtained in an explicit form. The electro-optical absorption band of a weak electromagnetic wave has been calculated. It has been found that the absorption intensity increases with an increase in the intensity of the electric field. The external electric field leads to an explicit dependence of the absorption intensity on the effective masses of charge carriers. The absorption intensity decreases as the difference between the effective masses of charge carriers increases. There is also an effective broadening of the band gap, which is determined by the geometrical dimensions of the sample and the magnitude of the external field.     

Semiconductor nanocylindrical layer in a strong electric field: Spectrum of carriers and intraband transitions

The single-electron states in a quantized cylindrical layer in the presence of a strong homogeneous electric field have been considered in the isotropic effective mass approximation. The energy spectrum and the envelope wave functions of charge carriers in the layer have been obtained in the explicit form. It has been shown that a strong external electric field leads to an additional localization of carriers in their angular motion. The corresponding selection rules have been derived, and the absorption band of intraband-intersubband optical transitions in the layer has been calculated.     

On the accuracy of the BGK model for ion drift in own gas

The model of collisions of ions with gas atoms, considering resonant charge exchange of ions, polarization and elastic (gas-kinetic) interactions is constructed. Ion drift characteristics in the dc electric field are calculated. The results are compared to calculations based on the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook model collision integral (BGK integral). It is shown that the use of the BGK collision integral leads to significant errors due to the specificity of ion-atom collisions.     

Optical polarization of nuclei and ODNMR in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

Optical orientation of electrons was used to polarize the crystal lattice nuclei in quantum-size heterostructures and to study the effect of the conduction band spin splitting on the spin states of quasi-two-dimensional (2D) electrons drifting in an external electric field. High (～1%) nuclear polarization was registered using polarized luminescence and ODNMR in single GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells. Measurement was made of the hyperfine interaction fields created by polarized nuclei on electrons and by electrons on nuclei. The spin-lattice relaxation of nuclei on the non-degenerate 2D electron gas was calculated. A comparison of the theoretical and experimental longitudinal relaxation times permitted the conclusion that the localized charge carriers are responsible for nuclear polarization in quantum wells in the temperature range of 2–77 K. A new effect has been studied, i.e. induction of an effective magnetic field acting on 2D electron spins when electrons drift in an external electric field in the quantum well plane. This effective field B_eff is due to the spin splitting of the conduction band of 2D electrons. The paper discusses possible registration of an ODNMR signal when the field B_eff is modulated by an electric current during optical orientation.     

Density functional theory study on ion adsorption and electroosmotic flow in a membrane with charged cylindrical pores†

ABSTRACT

Ion adsorption and electroosmotic flow induced by an external electric field have a variety of practical applications, especially for membrane technology. In this work, a partially perturbative density functional theory (DFT) based on the modified fundamental measure theory was applied to investigate the ion density distributions and partitions in a charged cylindrical pore. Different types of electrolyte solutions, including both charge symmetric and asymmetric, were examined using the proposed theory with various pore diameters, bulk densities, ion valencies and surface charge densities. The ion concentration profiles calculated with the theory exhibit good agreements with the results of the Monte Carlo simulations, while the results of the Poisson–Boltzmann equation deviate greatly especially for the high valence electrolytes in narrow cylindrical pores. Some interesting phenomena discovered in both experiments and simulations, such as the reverse distribution of the ions and charge inversion, can be well reproduced with the DFT. Based on the ion concentration distributions obtained from the DFT, the transient velocity profiles of the electroosmotic flow in the charged cylindrical nanopores were calculated with the Navier–Stokes (NS) equation. The characteristics of the electroosmotic flow were discussed under the different bulk electrolyte concentrations and thickness of the electric double layer inside the nanopore. The enhancement of the velocity near the pore wall, which cannot be described by the traditional theory, was well characterised by the DFT combined with the NS equation.     

Equivalent image charges of a prolate spheroid under an external electric field

This paper presents the image charges for a prolate spheroid under an external electric field. The equivalent image charges can substitute the spheroid to represent the potential that the free or polarization charges, induced by the external field on the spheroid, contribute to the exterior. In order to generalize the image charges for an arbitrary external field, we apply cylindrical image charges along the interfocal line of the spheroid, and explain the determination of the charge distribution and the calculation of the potential from the images. Examples are included to demonstrate the applicability of the image charges in field calculation.     

Phase diagrams of electric-field-induced aggregation in conducting colloidal suspensions

To develop a theory for electric-field-driven phase transitions in concentrated suspensions, we extended our microscopic theory [Phys. Rev. E 52, 1669, (1995); 54, 5428, (1996)] beyond the dilute regime. Based on the model of the Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization of colloids, our theory overcomes the limitations of Brillouin's formula for the electric energy of conducting materials which is applicable only for negligibly small energy dissipation and slow time variations of the field. We found that the phase diagrams of "the particle concentration vs the electric field strength" for colloids are similar to the phase diagrams for the first-order phase separation in quenched conventional binary systems with a high-temperature miscibility gap. This explains why a variety of colloids exhibit similar field-induced aggregation patterns. Our theory provides a reasonable interpretation of the available experimental data on field-induced aggregation phenomena in electrorheological fluids and aqueous suspensions, whereas currently used theoretical models are in variance with many of the data. The theoretical results enable one to trace how the variations of the electrical properties of the constituent materials influence the topology of the suspension phase diagram and to evaluate the effects of the field strength and frequency on the particle aggregation.     

Effect of electric field on light scattering by aqueous colloids of diamond and graphite

We present the results of our experimental investigation of light scattering by polydisperse colloids of diamond and graphite. The scattering is studied at a random orientation of particles and in an external radiofrequency electric field, which orients particles along the strength. The average dimensions of particles in both colloids are close to each other and comparable with the wavelength of the incident light. The shape of particles and the optical and electrooptical properties of diamond and graphite colloids are significantly different. We analyze the polarization components of scattered light energy when the light incident on the colloids is linearly polarized. We show that the quadrupole light scattering by isotropic diamond particles has the main effect on angular dependences of depolarization of scattered light. For light scattering by anisotropic graphite particles, the depolarization of scattered light is mainly determined by a particular feature of the dipole scattering of particles. It is shown that, in both colloids, the orientational order of particles considerably reduces the depolarization of light scattered by particles. We show that relative changes in the intensity and depolarization of scattered light, which depend on the scattering angle and polarization direction of light, as well as on the parameters of particles, can be used as a measure of electrooptical effects observed in colloids.     

Microscopic relationship between colloid–colloid interactions and the rheological behaviour of suspensions: a molecular dynamics-stochastic rotation dynamics investigation

ABSTRACT

We investigate the dependence of the shear viscosity of suspensions of spherical colloids as a function of the volume fraction of the suspension, the colloid–colloid interactions and the shear rate. We couple molecular dynamics to describe the motion of the colloids with stochastic rotation dynamics (MD–SRD) for the fluid environment by means of stochastic collisions, in order to incorporate hydrodynamics effects leading to non-newtonian responses. The shear viscosity is computed using non-equilibrium simulations by imposing explicit velocity gradients. The impact of the colloid–colloid interactions is examined by modelling the inter-colloid pair potential with a repulsive power law, that allows interpolating different degrees of colloidal softness. The general rheological behaviour of our suspensions can be described with a Krieger–Dougherty like equation, which must be corrected to account for the variations in the maximum packing fraction and non-equilibrium effects arising from the flux of momentum imposed to the suspension, which appear when varying the softness of the inter-colloidal interactions. We further show evidence for non-newtonian behaviour at high Péclet numbers, characterised both by shear thinning and shear thickening, and thus demonstrate these effects can be successfully captured using MD–SRD methods.     

Electric-field-induced chirality flipping in smectic liquid crystals: the role of anisotropic viscosity

We demonstrate the homogeneous and permanent reversal of the chirality of a condensed phase by an applied electric field. Tilted chiral smectic layers exhibit a coupled polarization density and molecular orientation fields which reorient about the layer normal as couple of fixed handedness in response to small applied electric fields. Experiments on some bent-core smectics show that above a threshold field the induced rotation can occur instead about the molecular long axis and that, as a result, the handedness of the phase can be flipped. The effect is quantitatively described by a nonequilibrium dissipative model of chiral smectic dynamics with anisotropic rotational viscosities.     

The influence of long range interparticle correlations on the magnetically induced optical anisotropy in magnetic colloids

In this paper we develop a theoretical model for the magnetically induced optical anisotropy in dense magnetic colloids made of spherical and un-aggregated magnetic monodomain nanoparticles. Both dipole-field and dipole-dipole magnetic and electric interactions between the magnetic monodomain particles are taken into account in the Hamiltonian of the system. Using the pair correlation function in a colloidal suspension of magnetic nanoparticles developed by Ivanov and Kuznetsova (2001) [11], the complex dielectric constant of a magnetic colloid is modeled as a function of the light polarization direction, the magnetic field intensity and magnetic particle concentration and diameter. The two main features of the model are that, on the one hand, it predicts the possibility of magnetically induced optical anisotropy in dense magnetic colloids made of spherical and un-aggregated monodomain nanoparticles, and on the other hand, unlike the existing models for diluted samples, it predicts a non-linear dependence of dichroism and birefringence on magnetic particle concentration.     

Manipulating the self assembly of colloids in electric fields

During the last decade the focus in colloid science on self-assembly has moved from mostly spherical particles and interaction potentials to more and more complex particle shapes, interactions and conditions. In this minireview we focus on how external electric fields, which in almost all cases can be replaced by magnetic particles and fields for similar effects, are used to manipulate the self-assembly process of ever more complex colloids. We will illustrate typical results from literature next to examples of our own work on how electric fields are used to achieve a broad range of different effects guiding the self-assembly of colloidal dispersions. In addition, preliminary measurements and calculations on how electric fields can be used to induce lock-and-key interactions will be presented as well.     

Efficiently enhanced energy storage performance of Ba2Bi4Ti5O18 film by co-doping Fe3+ and Ta5+ ion with larger radius

We present an efficient strategy, that is the co-substitution of Fe³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ ions with large radius for Ti⁴⁺ ion, to enhance energy storage performance of Ba₂Bi₄Ti₅O₁₈ film. For the films co-doped with Fe³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ ions, the maximum polarization under the same external electric field is improved because the radius of Fe³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ ions is larger than that of Ti⁴⁺ ion. Moreover, due to the composition and chemical disorder, the relaxor properties are also slightly improved, which can not be achieved by the film doped with Fe³⁺ ions only. What is more, for the films doped with Fe³⁺ ion only, the leakage current density increases greatly due to the charge imbalance, resulting in a significant decrease in breakdown strength. It is worth mentioning that the breakdown strength of Fe³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ ions co-doped film does not decrease due to the charge balance. Another important point is the recoverable energy storage density of the films co-doped with Fe³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ ions has been greatly improved based on the fact that the maximum external electric field does not decrease and the maximum polarization under the same external electric field increases. On top of that, the hysteresis of the polarization has also been improved. Finally, the co-doped films with Fe³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ ions have good frequency and temperature stability.     

The von Neumann representation as a joint time–frequency parameterization for polarization-shaped femtosecond laser pulses

We generalize the joint time–frequency von Neumann representation of femtosecond laser pulses for usage with time-dependent polarization states. The electric field is expanded in terms of Gaussian-shaped transform-limited subpulses located on a discrete time–frequency lattice, each with a specific polarization state. This formalism provides an intuitive picture for the time- and frequency-dependent polarization state. It can also serve as a basis for polarization pulse shaping. As an illustration, we define pulses for which polarization parameters (ellipticity and orientation) are given directly in time–frequency phase space. This approach has applications in quantum control and other areas for which time- and frequency-dependent light polarization is relevant.     

Symmetry and anisotropic optical spectrum of charge-transfer excitons in the model of CuO2 plane

A method of group-theoretical classification of excitonic states with a charge transfer from a unit cell to neighboring ones is suggested in a tetragonal two-dimensional model of a CuO₂ plane. The orientation (anisotropy) and polarization (pleochroism) dependences of the intensities of excitonic dipole-forbidden optical transitions are determined. The phenomenon of initiating dipole-forbidden transitions in an external electric field is theoretically considered. General dependences of the probabilities of such transitions on the value and direction of the electric field and on the light wave polarization are found. The dependences obtained can be used to identify weak absorption bands in dielectric cuprates containing CuO₂ planes.     

Quantum-confined Stark effect and intraband transitions in a semiconductor spherical layer

The effect of an external homogeneous electric field on the states of charge carriers in a size-quantized spherical layer is considered. An explicit dependence of the energy shift on the external field strength and the geometric sizes of the sample is obtained, and the electro-optical absorption coefficient for intraband dipole transitions is calculated.     

Optical absorption in a narrow-band InSb cylindrical layered nanowire in the presence of strong electrostatic field

On the example of InSb we consider the influence of a strong homogeneous electrostatic field on the state of carriers in a narrow-band quantized cylindrical layer in the case of Kaine dispersion law. Explicit expressions for the energy spectrum and wave function envelopes of charge carriers in the heterolayer are obtained. It is shown that under action of the strong external field the rotational motion, with respect to angular variables, of charge carriers becomes oscillatory in a narrow cone of the azimuth angle. We have obtained corresponding selection rules and calculated the threshold frequencies of absorption for interband and intraband electro-optical transitions in the layer. The threshold frequencies are determined by the geometric sizes of the sample and the magnitude of the external field.