Abstract
A theoretical similarity has been suggested between the surface tension (γ) of a macro-sized mercury electrode and the ion-solvent interaction energy at a nano-sized ion | solvent interface. In a previous theory (Osakai & Ebina, 1998), the ion-solvent 1:1 interaction energy was formulated as a quadratic function of the surface field strength (E) of the ion. This theory has been extended to explain a near-parabolic shape of the electrocapillary curve for a mercury electrode, i.e., the quadratic dependence of γ on the electrode potential (being roughly proportional to E at the electrode surface).
