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Despite the ubiquity of aqueous electrolytes, the effect of salt on water organization remains controversial. We introduce a nonlocal and nonlinear field theory for the nanoscale polarization of ions and water and derive the electrolyte dielectric response as a function of salt concentration to first order in a loop expansion. By comparison with molecular dynamics simulations, we show that rising salt concentration induces a dielectric permittivity decrement and Debye screening in the longitudinal susceptibility but leaves the water structure remarkably unchanged.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
By: Maximilian R. Becker, Roland R. Netz, Philip Loche, Douwe Jan Bonthuis, Dominique Mouhanna and Hélène Berthoumieux.
Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 158001 – Published 14 April, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett...