https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-024-00775-4
Regular Article - Solid State and Materials
Charge accumulation and potential difference generation in ion adsorbing cells
1
Dipartimento di Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy
2
Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi (ISC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) c/o Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy
3
Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo, 5790, 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
4
Department of Molecular Science and Nanosystems, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30175, Mestre, VE, Italy
5
Departamento de Física, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Avenida General Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, 84030-900, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil
Received:
23
May
2024
Accepted:
24
August
2024
Published online:
18
September
2024
We analyze charge and field equilibrium distributions in an insulating medium with ions confined by two flat adsorbing–desorbing electrodes without an external electric field. The equilibrium charge density profile of the sample is determined by considering the accumulation of mobile charges at the surface, which generates a surface electric potential. Charging dynamics are explored using a kinetic balance equation, resulting in a time-dependent net charge surface and an inhomogeneous Volterra integral equation of the second kind, and determining the surface electric potential in the half-space approximation. The results show a non-monotonic time dependence for the surface electric potential due to adsorption–desorption processes. The analysis is extended to a finite sample and reveals the presence of a maximum in the time behavior of difference of potential when only one type of ion is selectively adsorbed. The trend is instead monotonic when one electrode only adsorbs positive, and the other one adsorbs only negative ions. This approach may be used as a convenient theoretical tool for further investigation of charge accumulation on the surfaces of electrolytic cells.
Giovanni Barbero, Ervin K. Lenzi and Antonio M. Scarfone contributed equally to this work.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.