Replica integral equation theory for partly quenched electrolyte mixtures

Abstract

We present a theoretical study of the quenched-annealed system consisting of an annealed electrolyte and a disordered quenched matrix with ionic obstacles. Both components were modeled as size symmetric +1 : −1 primitive model electrolytes. The partly quenched system was studied by using the replica Ornstein–Zernike integral equation theory in the hypernetted chain approximation. The effects of concentration of matrix ions, pre-quenching conditions, and the electrolyte and solvent conditions on the excess chemical potential of the annealed electrolyte were examined. The numerical results indicated that the mean activity of the adsorbed electrolyte differs substantially from the corresponding quantity for the bulk electrolyte. The excess chemical potential depends strongly on concentration of charged obstacles and matrix preparation, as also on the temperature and dielectric constant of the annealed electrolyte solution.