Charge transport in confined concentrated solutions: A minireview

Abstract This Minireview summarizes several recent experiments clouding over prevailing theoretical understanding of charge transport behaviors in electrochemical systems; they are nonlinear concentration dependence of ionic conductivity, ultra-long Debye length in ionic liquids, nonmonotonic double layer charging behavior, and anomalous increase in area specific capacitance with decreasing nanopore size. Theoretical activities reveal that nanoconfinement and high concentration exert strong influence on charge distribution and transport via strong ion-ion correlations and ion-wall interactions. By exemplifying where and why classical theories of charge transport fail, we defy the popular point of view that theoretical electrochemistry is well-established and we are left with applications of these theories only.