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Making Sense of Electrical Noise by Simulating Electrolyte Solutions

Project description

Modelling to stimulate the study of electric fluctuations in ionic fluids

Ionic fluids, pure, as mixtures, or as solvents for colloids or nanoparticles, constitute a large fraction of all known liquids, ranging from electrolytes to room temperature ionic liquids. Scientists believe that probing electrical fluctuations in such fluids will yield an explanation for recently observed extraordinary properties. The EU-funded SENSES project aims to understand fluctuations in bulk, interfacial and confined ionic systems. The key challenge researchers face in modelling these systems will be to provide a quantitative description of the phenomena underlying the various sources of noise, such as coupled diffusion, long-range electrostatic interactions and hydrodynamic flows. Understanding how electrical noise reflects the microscopic properties of ionic systems will open new horizons in the design of ionic fluids with the desired properties, with applications in diverse fields of Science and Technology.

Objective

Seemingly unrelated experiments such as electrolyte transport through nanotubes, nano-scale electrochemistry, NMR relaxometry and Surface Force Balance measurements, all probe electrical fluctuations: of the electric current, the charge and polarization, the field gradient (for quadrupolar nuclei) and the coupled mass/charge densities. If only we had the theoretical tools to interpret this electrical noise, we would open complementary windows on ionic systems. Such insight is needed, as recent experiments uncovered unexpected behaviour of ionic systems (electrolytes, ionic liquids), which question our understanding of these simple fluids and call for a fresh theoretical perspective. This project aims at providing an integrated understanding of fluctuations in bulk, interfacial and confined ionic systems. For modelling, the key challenge is to quantitatively predict the phenomena underlying the various sources of noise: coupled diffusion, long-range electrostatic interactions & hydrodynamic flows, short-range ion-specific effects (solvation, ad/desorption). Using molecular and mesoscopic simulations, I will provide a unified theoretical framework enabling experimentalists to decipher the microscopic properties encoded in the measured electrical noise. I will achieve this by addressing four interlinked questions corresponding to the above-mentioned experiments: 1) What is the microscopic origin of the coloured noise of electric current through single nanopores/tubes? 2) What do the charge fluctuations of an electrode tell us about the properties of the interfacial electrolyte? 3) What information can NMR relaxometry provide on the multiscale dynamics of individual ions? 4) Could collective fluctuations in concentrated electrolytes explain long-range forces between surfaces? Each question is in itself an exciting challenge, but addressing them simultaneously is the key to a global understanding of these liquids which play a crucial role in biology and technology.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2019-COG

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Host institution

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 781 893,00
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 781 893,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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