Abstract
Solid surfaces in contact with nonaqueous solvents play a key role in electrochemistry, analytical chemistry, and industrial chemistry. In this work, the zeta potentials of cotton membranes in acetonitrile solutions were determined by streaming potential and bulk conductivity measurements. By applying the Gouy-Chapman theory and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm of ions to the experimental data, the mechanism of the electrification at the cotton/acetonitrile interface is revealed for the first time to be solely due to ion adsorption on the surface, rather than proton dissociation at the interface. Different salts were found to produce opposite signs of the zeta potentials. This behavior can be attributed to ion solvation effects and the strong ordering of acetonitrile molecules at the interface. Furthermore, a trend of the electroviscous effect was observed, in agreement with the standard electrokinetic theory. These findings demonstrate that electrokinetics in acetonitrile, a polar aprotic solvent, can be treated in the same manner as in water.