Solving the finite‐difference non‐linear Poisson–Boltzmann equation

Abstract

Abstract The Poisson–Boltzmann equation can be used to calculate the electrostatic potential field of a molecule surrounded by a solvent containing mobile ions. The Poisson–Boltzmann equation is a non‐linear partial differential equation. Finite‐difference methods of solving this equation have been restricted to the linearized form of the equation or a finite number of non‐linear terms. Here we introduce a method based on a variational formulation of the electrostatic potential and standard multi‐dimensional maximization methods that can be used to solve the full non‐linear equation. © 1992 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.