Theoretical investigation of a polarizable colloid in the salt medium

TL;DR

This paper extends a weak coupling theory to include salt effects on polarizable colloids, validating it against simulations and a recent surface polarization theory, showing excellent agreement for monovalent electrolytes at high salt concentrations.

Contribution

It introduces an extended weak coupling theory for polarizable colloids in salt media and validates its accuracy against simulations and existing models.

Findings

Excellent agreement with Monte Carlo data for monovalent electrolytes

Accurate predictions up to high salt concentrations

Validates the extended theory against recent surface polarization models

Abstract

In the present work, we have extended a weak coupling theory [A. Bakhshandeh, A. P. dos Santos and Y. Levin Phys. Rev. Lett 107, 107801 (2011)] for systems with added 1:1 electrolyte. To study the accuracy of the developed theory, we compare its numerical predictions with Monte Carlo simulation data and a recent theory which accounts for the surface polarization. A very good agreement is found for the case of monovalent electrolytes, up to very high salt concentrations and different colloidal charges