title: Stability of binary mixtures in electric field gradients.
abstract: We consider the influence of electric field gradients on the phase behavior of nonpolar binary mixtures. Small fields give rise to smooth composition profiles, whereas large enough fields lead to a phase-separation transition. The critical field for demixing as well as the equilibrium phase-separation interface are given as a function of the various system parameters. We show how the phase diagram in the temperature-composition plane is affected by electric fields, assuming a linear or nonlinear constitutive relations for the dielectric constant. Finally, we discuss the unusual case where the interface appears far from any bounding surface.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
authors.forename: Sela
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samin
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsori