Steady State and Pseudo-Transient Electric Potential Using the Poissonboltzmann Equation

Abstract

-A method for analysis of the electric potential profile in saline solutions was developed for systems with one or two infinite flat plates. A modified Poisson-Boltzmann equation, taking into account nonelectrostatic interactions between ions and surfaces, was used. To solve the stated problem in the steady-state approach the finite-difference method was used. For the formulated pseudo-transient problem, we solved the set of ordinary differential equations generated from the algebraic equations of the stationary case. A case study was also carried out in relation to temperature, solution concentration, surface charge and salt-type. The results were validated by the stationary problem solution, which had also been used to verify the ionic specificity for different salts. The pseudo-transient approach allowed a better understanding of the dynamic behavior of the ion-concentration profile and other properties due to the surface charge variation.