Weak and Strong-Coupling Electrostatic Interactions between Asymmetrically Charged Planar Surfaces

TL;DR

This paper compares weak and strong coupling theories of electrostatic interactions between asymmetrically charged plates using Monte Carlo simulations, revealing rich behaviors and qualitative differences in the interaction regimes.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive comparison of analytical theories with simulations for asymmetric charged surfaces, highlighting their validity and differences.

Findings

Analytical results match simulations in respective regimes

Distinct behaviors observed in weak vs. strong coupling limits

Rich interaction structures between asymmetrically charged plates

Abstract

We compare weak and strong coupling theory of counterion-mediated electrostatic interactions between two asymmetrically charged plates with extensive Monte-Carlo simulations. Analytical results in both weak and strong coupling limits compare excellently with simulations in their respective regimes of validity. The system shows a surprisingly rich structure in terms of interactions between the surfaces as well as fundamental qualitative differences in behavior in the weak and the strong coupling limits.