Abstract
We discuss the relation between a description of the van der Waals interaction between colloidal partic
es based on a molecular picture of matter with the Lifshitz description based
on quantum electrodynamics. The main observations are as follows: (i)
Starting from the Lifshitz description one can derive the exact Hamaker
result for the dispersion interaction by applying the Clausius-Mossotti
formula relating the dielectric permittivity of a medium to the
polarizability of the molecular units. The Hamaker result appears as a
leading term and the first correction term fully corresponds to the
Axilrod-Teller three-body correction to the dispersion
interaction. (ii) It is pointed out that the so called zero frequency
term in the Lifshitz expression for the Hamaker constant has
contributions from both quantum and classical molecular degrees of
freedom and that the conventional interpretation of this term is
quantitatively incorrect. (iii) An expression for the interaction
between two classical dipolar media is derived using a recently
published conjecture. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights
reserved.
es based on a molecular picture of matter with the Lifshitz description based
on quantum electrodynamics. The main observations are as follows: (i)
Starting from the Lifshitz description one can derive the exact Hamaker
result for the dispersion interaction by applying the Clausius-Mossotti
formula relating the dielectric permittivity of a medium to the
polarizability of the molecular units. The Hamaker result appears as a
leading term and the first correction term fully corresponds to the
Axilrod-Teller three-body correction to the dispersion
interaction. (ii) It is pointed out that the so called zero frequency
term in the Lifshitz expression for the Hamaker constant has
contributions from both quantum and classical molecular degrees of
freedom and that the conventional interpretation of this term is
quantitatively incorrect. (iii) An expression for the interaction
between two classical dipolar media is derived using a recently
published conjecture. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights
reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 189-195 |
| Journal | Colloids and Surfaces a-Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects |
| Volume | 228 |
| Issue number | 1-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Physical Chemistry
Free keywords
- van der Waals
- Electrodynamic
- Colloidal