Electrostatic many-body effects in confined electrolytesŞahin Büyükdağlı Abstract:
Electrostatic correlations between charged macromolecules and ions are omnipresent in various nanoscale systems. From the charge and polymer selectivity of membrane nanopores to the functioning of energy storage and nanofluidic devices, charge fluctuations are at the heart of many biological and industrial processes. In the first part of the talk, I will present a correlation-corrected electrostatic transport theory and characterize the ionic and polymer transport properties of membrane nanopores in physical conditions where mean-field electrostatics breaks down [1,2]. In the second part, I will extend this electrostatic formulation by including explicitly the charge structure of solvent molecules hydrating the ions in the solution [3,4]. Within this improved formalism, I will investigate solvent-interface interactions and the effect of the latter on the energy storage ability of low dielectric materials. I will conclude with a brief summary of open questions in the theoretical modelling of inhomogeneous charged liquids. Reminder: Tea and cookies will be in the seminar room before the seminar. |