Scientists discover that like-charged particles can sometimes attract

Everyone knows that usually, when it comes to charged particles, opposites attract. But in liquids, birds of a feather can flock together. Researchers investigating the long-standing mystery of why like-charged particles in solution can be drawn to each other have found that the nature of the solvent is key. The way that the liquid molecules arrange themselves around the particles can generate enough ‘electrosolvation force’ to overcome electromagnetic repulsion.