On the structure of double layers in Poisson-Boltzmann equation

Marco A. Fontelos; Lucía B. Gamboa

doi:10.3934/dcdsb.2012.17.1939

Article Contents

2012, Volume 17, Issue 6: 1939-1967. Doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2012.17.1939

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On the structure of double layers in Poisson-Boltzmann equation

Marco A. Fontelos^1, and
Lucía B. Gamboa^2,

1.
ICMAT (CSIC-UAM-UC3M-UCM), C/Nicolás Cabrera 15, Madrid, 28049
2.
Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas (CSIC - UAM - UC3M - UCM), C/Nicolás Cabrera, 13-15, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid

Received: April 30, 2011

Revised: August 31, 2011

Published: August 2012

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Abstract

We study the solutions to Poisson-Boltzmann equation for electrolytic solutions in a domain $\Omega$, surrounded by an uncharged dielectric medium. We establish existence, uniqueness and regularity of solutions and study in detail their asymptotic behaviour close to $\partial\Omega$ when a characteristic length, called the Debye length, is sufficiently small. This is a double layer with a thickness that changes from point to point along $\partial\Omega$ depending on the normal derivative of a harmonic function outside $\Omega$ and the mean curvature of $\partial\Omega$. We also provide numerical evidence of our results based on a finite elements approximation of the problem.

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Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary: 35Q35, 35J15; Secondary: 35B40.

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