Space Charge Distribution at Silver Chloride—Aqueous Solution Interface

Abstract

Transport phenomena at the interface between a silver chloride single crystal and aqueous solutions of different silver ion concentrations have been studied. The purpose of this work is to investigate the nature of the space charge distribution at this interface. Single crystals of silver chloride with a controlled doping level and crystallographic orientation are used. The experiments include DC conductance measurements, applied DC potential relaxation studies, and some AC conductance and capacitance measurements. The results of all these experiments are consistent, showing that a significant portion of the space charge distribution exists at the solid side of the interface. The theory of Grimley and Mott on space charge distribution is modified in order to interpret the experimental results and to account for the origin of the space charge distribution.