https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2013-02066-y
Review
Computer simulations of charged colloids in alternating electric fields
Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
Received: 6 September 2013
Revised: 17 September 2013
Published online: 25 November 2013
We briefly review recent theoretical and simulation studies of charged colloidal dispersions in alternating electric fields (AC fields). The response of single colloid to an external field can be characterized by a complex polarizability, which describes the dielectric properties of the colloid and its surrounding electrical double layer. We present computer simulation studies of single spherical colloid, using a coarse-grained mesoscale approach that accounts in full for hydrodynamic and electrostatic interactions as well as for thermal fluctuations. We investigate systematically a number of controlling parameters, such as the amplitude and frequency of the AC-fields. The results are in good agreement with recent theoretical predictions.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2013
