An Improved Model of the Grand Canonical Ensemble Description of an Electrolyte Confined in a Charged Mesoscale Pore

We have previously (M. N. Kobrak, J. Phys. Cond. Matt., 25, 095006 (2013)) developed a novel thermodynamic theory describing the behavior of ions in a mesoscale pore with a charged interface. In the limit where the Debye length of the electrolyte is smaller than the pore, there exists an electroneutral "bulk liquid" domain sufficiently far from the interface that the surface charge is screened. Under such conditions, charging the interface can reduce the ionic strength of the electrolyte in the bulk liquid domain. Here, we improve on the model using a lattice gas treatment of the interface. The results confirm that the effect of interest is significant for concentrated electrolytes at moderate voltages in pores as large as 0.5 microns.