Role of hydration forces in the properties of electrolyte solutions in the bulk and at interfaces

We present a theoretical approach for modeling electrolyte solutions at interfaces that reaches into the mesoscale while retaining molecular detail. The total Hamiltonian of the system includes interactions arising from density and charge density (ion correlation) fluctuations, direct Coulomb interactions between ions, and at interfaces the image interactions, ion-solid and ion-water dispersion interactions. The model was validated against its...