Page 193 - Introduction to Colloid and Surface Chemistry

182 Charged interfaces

approach the surface to within its hydrated radius without becoming
specifically adsorbed. Stern (1924) proposed a model in which the
double layer is divided into two parts separated by a plane (the Stern
plane) located at about a hydrated ion radius from the surface, and
also considered the possibility of specific ion adsorption.
Specifically adsorbed ions are those which are attached (albeit
temporarily) to the surface by electrostatic and/or van der Waals
forces strongly enough to overcome thermal agitation. They may be
dehydrated, at least in the direction of the surface. The centres of any
specifically adsorbed ions are located in the Stern layer- i.e. between
the surface and the Stern plane. Ions with centres located beyond the
Stern plane form the diffuse part of the double layer, for which the
Gouy-Chapman treatment outlined in the previous section, with t|»o
replaced by «/r d, is considered to be applicable.
The potential changes from fa (the surface or wall potential) to $ d
(the Stern potential) in the Stern layer, and decays from «/r d to zero in
the diffuse double layer.
In the absence of specific ion adsorption, the charge densities at the
surface and at the Stern plane are equal and the capacities of the
Stern layer (Q) and of the diffuse layer (C 2) are given by
j
fa - fa fa
from which

i
fa = - (7,14)
C 1+C 2
When specific adsorption takes place, counter-ion adsorption
usually predominates over co-ion adsorption and a typical double
layer situation would be that depicted in Figure 7.2. It is possible,
especially with polyvalent or surface-active counter-ions, for reversal
of charge to take place within the Stern layer - i.e. for fa and fa to
have opposite signs (Figure 7.3a). Adsorption of surface-active co-
ions could create a situation jn which fa has the same sign as fa and is
greater in magnitude (Figure 7.3b).
Stern assumed that a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm could be
used to describe the equilibrium between ions adsorbed in the Stern
layer and those in the diffuse part of the double layer. Considering
only the adsorption of counter-ions, the surface charge density cr\ of
the Stern layer is given by the expression