Derivation of the Inverse Schulze-Hardy Rule

Abstract

The inverse Schulze-Hardy rule was recently proposed based on experimental observations (Cao et al., Langmuir, 2015, 31, 6610-6614). This rule describes an interesting new situation of the aggregation of charged colloidal particles in the presence of the multivalent coions. Specifically, it can be shown that the critical coagulation concentration is inversely proportional to the coion valence. Here the derivation of the inverse Schulze-Hardy rule based on purely theoretical grounds is presented for the first time. This derivation complements the classical Schulze-Hardy rule which describes the multivalent counterion systems.