1
|
Gao X, Gan Z. Broken symmetries in quasi-2D charged systems via negative dielectric confinement. J Chem Phys 2024; 161:011102. [PMID: 38949579 DOI: 10.1063/5.0214523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
We report spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) phenomena in symmetrically charged binary particle systems under planar nanoconfinement with negative dielectric constants. The SSB is triggered solely via the dielectric confinement effect, without any external fields. The mechanism of SSB is found to be caused by the strong polarization field enhanced by nanoconfinement, giving rise to charge/field oscillations in the transverse directions. Interestingly, dielectric contrast can even determine the degree of SSB in transverse and longitudinal dimensions, forming charge-separated interfacial liquids and clusters on square lattices. Furthermore, we analytically show that the formed lattice constant is determined by the dielectric mismatch and the length scale of confinement, which is validated via molecular dynamics simulations. The novel broken symmetry mechanism may provide new insights into the study of quasi-2D systems and the design of future nanodevices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuanzhao Gao
- Thrust of Advanced Materials, and Guangzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Materials Informatics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangdong, China
- Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zecheng Gan
- Thrust of Advanced Materials, and Guangzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Materials Informatics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangdong, China
- Department of Mathematics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liang J, Wei H, Yu K, Lin C, Li H, Ding M, Duan X. Structure and dynamics of ions in dipolar solvents: a coarse-grained simulation study. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:6305-6314. [PMID: 34132314 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00583a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
We employ the coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the fundamental structural and dynamic properties of the ionic solution with and without the application of an external electric field. Our simulations, in which the solvent molecules are treated as Stockmayer fluids and the ions are modeled as spheres, can effectively account for the multi-body correlations between ion-ion, ion-dipole, and dipole-dipole interactions, which are often ignored by the mean-field theories or coarse-grained simulations based on a dielectric continuum. By focusing on the coupling between effects of ion solvation, electrostatic correlations and applied electric field, we highlight some nontrivial microscopic molecular features of the systems, such as the reorganization of the dipolar solvent, clustering of the ions, and diffusions of ions and dipolar solvent molecules. Particularly, our simulation indicates the nonmonotonic dependence of the ionic clustering and ion diffusion rates on the dipolar nature of the solvent molecules, as well as the amplification of these tendencies caused by the electric field application. This work provides insights into the fundamental understanding of physicochemical properties for ion-containing liquids and contributes to the design and development of ion-containing materials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jicai Liang
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education and College of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130025, China.
| | - Hao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education and College of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130025, China. and State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
| | - Kaifeng Yu
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education and College of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130025, China.
| | - Chengjiang Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China. and School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Hongfei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China. and School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Mingming Ding
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Xiaozheng Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China.
| |
Collapse
|