On the self-organization of the convective motion of fluid, driven by electric forces in the thin-layer electrolytic cells

The spontaneous formation of linear and hexagonal patterns of luminescence during the thin-layer electrolysis of rubrene in the presence of a small amount of a background electrolyte was explained as the phenomenon associated with a self-organized electrohydrodynamic convection. The driving force for this type of convection is the product of the local electric field in the solution and the local uncompensated charge. The present numerical calculations of the motion of fluid subject to this driving force constitute convincing proof that such electrostatic interactions in the solution can indeed give rise to the formation of self-organizing convective rolls, under isothermal conditions. A comparison of the numerical and experimental results is outlined. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.