Effects of electric double layer on nanoscale boiling: Molecular dynamics approach

Abstract

Electric double layers (EDL) are formed in aqueous solution of electrolytes near electrically charged wall. Such EDLs play a crucial role in many interfacial phenomena, among which a nanoscale boiling process was studied with molecular dynamics simulations. Evaporation and boiling were investigated with aqueous solution of sodium chloride (NaCl), a typical inorganic electrolyte, in contact with an artificially charged platinum substrate. The heating area temperature of the substrate was controlled in a range from 500 to 800K. The results indicate that the surface charge and the formed EDL suppress the bubble nucleation due to strengthened interaction between liquid molecules and the substrate. It was also shown that water molecules in the EDL exhibit orientational ordering even at higher temperatures.