2009/09/30 by Yan Levin, Alexandre P. dos Santos, Alexandre Diehl
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Electrochemical Analysis and Applications #Electrostatics and Colloid Interactions #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.103.257802
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 257802 (2009)
openalex publication_date 2009/12/17 · arxiv created 2009/12/18 · arxiv updated 2010/01/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Availability of highly reactive halogen ions at the surface of aerosols has tremendous implications for the atmospheric chemistry. Yet neither simulations, experiments, nor existing theories are able to provide a fully consistent description of the electrolyte-air interface. In this Letter a new theory is proposed which allows us to explicitly calculate the ionic density profiles, the surface tension, and the electrostatic potential difference across the solution-air interface. Predictions of the theory are compared to experiments and are found to be in excellent agreement. The theory also sheds new light on one of the oldest puzzles of physical chemistry--the Hofmeister effect.