Electrostatic analysis of the interactions between charged particles of dielectric materials

An understanding of the electrostatic interactions that exist between charged particles of dielectric materials has applications that span much of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Areas of interest include cloud formation, ink-jet printing, and the stability of emulsions. A general solution to the problem of calculating electrostatic interactions between charged dielectric particles is presented. The solution converges very rapidly for low values of the dielectric constant and is stable up to the point where particles touch. Through applications to unspecified particles with a range of size and charge ratios, the model shows that there exist distinct regions of dielectric space where particles with the same sign of charge are strongly attracted to one another. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3457157]