Monte Carlo, density functional theory, and Poisson–Boltzmann theory study of the structure of an electrolyte near an electrode

Monte Carlo (MC) and density functional theory (DFT) results are reported for an electrolyte, consisting of charged hard spheres of diameter 3 Å with the solvent modeled as a dielectric continuum, near a charged flat uniformly charged electrode. These results are more interesting than the earlier MC results of Torrie and Valleau [J. Chem. Phys. 73, 5807 (1980); J. Phys. Chem. 86, 3251 (1982)] for 4.25 Å spheres because the popular Gouy–Chapman (GC) theory is less successful for this system. The DFT results are in good agreement with the MC results. Both the MC and DFT results show particularly interesting features when the counterions are divalent. For such divalent counterions, the diffuse layer potential passes through a maximum magnitude, then declines, and ultimately has a sign that is opposite to that of the electrode charge. The consequences of this behavior are discussed. In contrast, the well-known GC theory consistently overestimates the magnitude of the diffuse layer potential, does not have any unusual behavior, and is in poor agreement with the simulation results.