Title

Effect of Solvent on Properties of the Liquid Metal Surface

Author(s)/Creator(s)

J. P. Badiali, University Pierre et Marie CurieFollow
M. I. Rosinberg, University Pierre et Marie Curie
Jerry Goodisman, Syracuse UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date

1981

Keywords

chemistry

Disciplines

Chemistry

Description/Abstract

We calculate the difference in the surface potentials between the free surface of a liquid metal and the same metal in an ideally polarizable interface at the point of zero charge. This difference, δXm, is due to the deformation of the electronic cloud of the metal by the solvent molecules. The simple model used for the free (metal-metal vapor) surface yields qualitatively correct work functions for a number of metals (Hg, Cd, In, Zn, Pb, Ga, A1). Two simple ways to model the metal-solvent interaction are proposed and calculations of δXm made for each. One, the dielectric film model, considers only an electrostatic interaction between metal electrons and solvent, while the other, the repulsive core model, considers only the exchange repulsion between metal electrons and the cores of solvent molecules. For Zn, Cd and Hg the dielectric film model, with parameters chosen according to conventional electrochemical wisdom, gives values for δXm which are close to those estimated in the literature. For Ga and A1, the effect of the solvent is much greater because of the larger electron density and smaller ion size. The repulsive core model can give similar results, but there is an arbitrariness in the choice of the barrier strength parameter. Again, Ga is more sensitive to the presence of solvent. The effect of changing certain parameters in both models, and of combining the two, is considered.

Additional Information

Copyright 1981 Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Electrochemistry. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Electrochemistry.

The article may be found at

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022072881803749

Recommended Citation

Badiali, J. P.; Rosinberg, M. I.; and Goodisman, Jerry, "Effect of Solvent on Properties of the Liquid Metal Surface" (1981). Chemistry - All Scholarship. 81.
https://surface.syr.edu/che/81

Source

local input

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.