Electric double layer of anisotropic dielectric colloids under electric fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates how anisotropic dielectric colloids respond to electric fields by modeling their electric double layers, accounting for shape, charge, and dielectric anisotropies, to predict their behavior under various field conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a coupled ionic dynamics and Poisson solver approach for anisotropic colloids, enabling accurate predictions of their electric double layer responses in static and dynamic fields.

Findings

Electric double layer properties depend on field strength and frequency.

Anisotropic effects significantly influence colloidal aggregation behavior.

The method accurately predicts experimental colloid responses.

Abstract

Anisotropic colloidal particles constitute an important class of building blocks for self-assembly directed by electrical fields. The aggregation of these building blocks is driven by induced dipole moments, which arise from an interplay between dielectric effects and the electric double layer. For particles that are anisotropic in shape, charge distribution, and dielectric properties, calculation of the electric double layer requires coupling of the ionic dynamics to a Poisson solver. We apply recently proposed methods to solve this problem for experimentally employed colloids in static and time-dependent electric fields. This allows us to predict the effects of field strength and frequency on the colloidal properties.