Suspended particles surrounded by an inhomogeneously charged permeable membrane.Solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation by means of the network method

摘要

The Poisson-Boltzmann equation is numerically solved for a suspended spherical particle surrounded by a permeable membrane that contains an inhomogeneous distribution of fixed charges.The calculations are carried out using the metwork simulation method,which makes it possible to solve the problem in the most general case,extending previous results(J.P.Hsu,Y.C.Kuo,J.Membrane Sci.108(1995)107).Approximate analytical expressions for the counterion concentration and the electric potential in the membrane are also presented,together with criteria that determine their ranges of validity.The limiting case of a distribution of fixed charges in the membrane that reduces to a surface charge is also analyzed.It is shown that the solution for this case,considering a vanishingly small radius of the core,reduces to a superposition of solutions corresponding to a charged impermeable particle suspended in a electrolyte solution and to a cavity filled with a charged electrolyte solution(J.J.Lopez-Garcia,J.Horno,C.Grosse,J.Colloid Interface Sci.251(2002)85).