Ionic Capillary Evaporation in Weakly Charged Nanopores
Abstract
Using a variational field theory, we show that an electrolyte confined to a neutral cylindrical nanopore traversing a low dielectric membrane exhibits a first-order ionic liquid-vapor pseudo-phase-transition from an ionic-penetration “liquid” phase to an ionic-exclusion “vapor” phase, controlled by nanopore-modified ionic correlations and dielectric repulsion. For weakly charged nanopores, this pseudotransition survives and may shed light on the mechanism behind the rapid switching of nanopore conductivity observed in experiments.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- October 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.158103
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1004.1816
- Bibcode:
- 2010PhRvL.105o8103B
- Keywords:
-
- 87.16.dp;
- 82.45.Gj;
- Transport including channels pores and lateral diffusion;
- Electrolytes;
- Condensed Matter - Soft Condensed Matter
- E-Print:
- This version is accepted for publication in PRL