Effects of electric field on confined electrolyte in a hexagonal mesoporous silica

In an electrowetting experiment on a surface treated hexagonal mesoporous silica, it is noticed that the effective solid-liquid interfacial tension is quite insensitive to the applied voltage, while the accessible nanopore volume decreases significantly as the voltage is increased. When the voltage is higher than 900 V, the liquid infiltration cannot be detected. The liquid defiltration is quite insensitive to the electric field. These unique phenomena may be attributed to the field responsive ion behaviors in the confining nanoenvironment. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3594791]