Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol.111, No.8, 3705-3713, 1999
A patching model for surface tension and the Tolman length
In the framework of density functional theory (DFT), a patching model for the density profile of the liquid-vapor interface is developed. The patching is based on analytical expressions of the asymptote of the density profiles. Derived from the model the surface tension of planar liquid-vapor interface as well as the Tolman length can be computed from analytic expressions. Two prototype systems are considered; the Yukawa and the Lennard-Jones. As a result, the temperature dependence of the surface tension as well as the Tolman length are obtained. The results are compared with numerical DFT calculations.