Two- and Three-Dimensional Nonlocal Density Functional Theory for Inhomogeneous Fluids: I. Algorithms and Parallelization

Abstract

Fluids adsorbed near surfaces, near macromolecules, and in porous materials are inhomogeneous, exhibiting spatially varying density distributions. This inhomogeneity in the fluid plays an important role in controlling a wide variety of complex physical phenomena including wetting, self-assembly, corrosion, and molecular recognition. One of the key methods for studying the properties of inhomogeneous fluids in simple geometries has been density functional theory (DFT). However, there has been a conspicuous lack of calculations in complex two- and three-dimensional geometries. The computational difficulty arises from the need to perform nested integrals that are due to nonlocal terms in the free energy functional. These integral equations are expensive both in evaluation time and in memory requirements; however, the expense can be mitigated by intelligent algorithms and the use of parallel computers. This paper details our efforts to develop efficient numerical algorithms so that nolocal DFT calculations in complex geometries that require two or three dimensions can be performed. The success of this implementation will enable the study of solvation effects at heterogeneous surfaces, in zeolites, in solvated (bio)polymers, and in colloidal suspensions.