Electric-field induced capillary interaction of charged particles at a polar interface

Abstract

We study the electric-field induced capillary interaction of charged particles at a polar interface. The algebraic tails of the electrostatic pressure of each charge results in a deformation of the interface $u\sim \rho ^{-4}$. The resulting capillary interaction is repulsive and varies as $\rho ^{-6}$ with the particle distance. As a consequence, electric-field induced capillary forces cannot be at the origin of the secondary minimum observed recently for charged PMMA particles at on oil-water interface.Comment: June 200