Simulation of charge reversal in salty environments: Giant overcharging?

Abstract

We have performed MD simulations of a highly charged colloid in a solution of 3:1 and additional 1:1 salt. The dependency of the colloid's inverted charge on the concentration of the additional 1:1 salt has been studied. Most theories predict, that the inverted charge increases when the concentration of monovalent salt grows, up to what is called giant overcharging, while experiments and simulational studies observe the opposite. Our simulations agree with the experimental findings and shed light onto the weaknesses of the theories. © 2008 EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag.