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Smith L, Wei Z, Williams CD, Chiricotto M, Pereira da Fonte C, Carbone P. Relationship between Capillary Wettability, Mass, and Momentum Transfer in Nanoconfined Water: The Case of Water in Nanoslits of Graphite and Hexagonal Boron Nitride. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 39376153 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c10738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/09/2024]
Abstract
The flow of water confined in nanosize capillaries is subject of intense research due to its relevance in the fabrication of nanofluidic devices and in the development of theories for fluid transport in porous media. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations carried out on 2D capillaries made up of graphite, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and a mix of the two, and of sizes from subnanometer to few nanometers, we investigate the relationship between the wettability of the wall capillary, the water diffusion, and its flow rate. We find that the water diffusion is decoupled from its flow properties as the former is not affected either by the height or chemistry of the capillary (except for the subnanometer slits), while the latter is dependent on both. The capillaries containing hBN show a reduced flow rate compared to those that are purely graphitic, likely due to the high friction coefficient between water and hBN. Such resistance to the flow is, however, at its maximum in the smallest capillary and lower for larger ones. Finally, we show that the flow rate values obtained from the Hagen-Poiseuille theory are almost always smaller than those obtained from simulations, indicating that either the slip length or the viscosity of nanoconfined water could be substantially different from the bulk values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lois Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester, U.K
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester, U.K
| | - Zixuan Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, L69 7ZD Liverpool, U.K
| | - Christopher D Williams
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester, U.K
| | - Mara Chiricotto
- The Hartree Centre, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, WA4 4AD Warrington, U.K
| | - Claudio Pereira da Fonte
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester, U.K
| | - Paola Carbone
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester, U.K
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2
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Wang CW, Kuo YW, Zeng JR, Tang PH, Wu TM. Confinement Effects on Reorientation Dynamics of Water Confined within Graphite Nanoslits. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:9525-9535. [PMID: 39307993 PMCID: PMC11457136 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c03898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Revised: 09/04/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the reorientation dynamics of water confined within graphite nanoslits of size less than 2 nm, where molecules formed inner and interfacial layers parallel to the confining walls. Significantly related to molecular reorientations, the hydrogen-bond (HB) network of nanoconfined water therein was scrutinized by HB configuration fractions compared to those of bulk water and the influences on interfacial-molecule orientations relative to a nearby C atom plate. The second-rank orientation time correlation functions (OTCFs) of nanoconfined water were calculated and found to follow stretched-exponential, power-law, and power-law decays in a time series. To understand this naïve behavior of reorientation relaxation, the approach of statistical mechanics was adopted in our studies. In terms of the orientation Van Hove function (OVHF), an alternative meaning was given to the second-rank OTCF, which is a measure of the deviation of the OVHF between a molecular system and free molecules in random orientations. Indicated by the OVHFs at related time scales, the stretched-exponential decay of the second-rank OTCF resulted from molecules evacuating out of HB cages formed by their neighbors. After the evacuations, the inner molecules relaxed at relatively fast rates toward random orientations, but the interfacial molecules reoriented at slow rates due to restrictions by hydrophobic interactions with graphite walls. The first power-law decay of the second-rank OTCF was attributed to the distinct relaxation rates of inner and interfacial molecules within a graphite nanoslit. When the inner molecules were completely random in orientation, the second-rank OTCFs changed to another power law decay with a power smaller than the first one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Wei Wang
- Institute of Physics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Wei Kuo
- Institute of Physics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Rong Zeng
- Institute of Physics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | | | - Ten-Ming Wu
- Institute of Physics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
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3
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Wei L, Li X, Bai Q, Kang J, Song J, Zhu S, Shen L, Wang H, Zhu C, Fang W. The performance of OPC and OPC3 water models in predictions of 2D structures under nanoconfinement. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:164504. [PMID: 38661199 DOI: 10.1063/5.0202518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Nanoconfined water plays an important role in broad fields of science and engineering. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been widely used to investigate water phases under nanoconfinement. The key ingredient of MD is the force field. In this study, we systematically investigated the performance of a recently introduced family of globally optimal water models, OPC and OPC3, and TIP4P/2005 in describing nanoconfined two-dimensional (2D) water ice. Our studies show that the melting points of the monolayer square ice (MSI) of all three water models are higher than the melting points of the corresponding bulk ice Ih. Under the same conditions, the melting points of MSI of OPC and TIP4P/2005 are the same and are ∼90 K lower than that of the OPC3 water model. In addition, we show that OPC and TIP4P/2005 water models are able to form a bilayer AA-stacked structure and a trilayer AAA-stacked structure, which are not the cases for the OPC3 model. Considering the available experimental data and first-principles simulations, we consider the OPC water model as a potential water model for 2D water ice MD studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laiyang Wei
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaojiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Bai
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Kang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Jueying Song
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Shen
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Huan Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Chongqin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Weihai Fang
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
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Rezlerová E, Moučka F, Předota M, Lísal M. Structure and self-diffusivity of alkali-halide electrolytes in neutral and charged graphene nanochannels. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:21579-21594. [PMID: 37548441 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03027j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the microscopic behaviour of aqueous electrolyte solutions in graphene-based ultrathin nanochannels is important in nanofluidic applications such as water purification, fuel cells, and molecular sensing. Under extreme confinement (<2 nm), the properties of water and ions differ drastically from those in the bulk phase. We studied the structural and diffusion behaviour of prototypical aqueous solutions of electrolytes (LiCl, NaCl, and KCl) confined in both neutral and positively-, and negatively-charged graphene nanochannels. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of the solutions in the nanochannels with either one, two- or three-layer water structures using the effectively polarisable force field for graphene. We analysed the structure and intermolecular bond network of the confined solutions along with their relation to the self-diffusivity of water and ions. The simulations show that Na and K cations can more easily rearrange their solvation shells under the graphene nanoconfinement and adsorb on the graphene surfaces or dissolve in the confinement-induced layered water than the Li cation. The negative surface charge together with the presence of ions orient water molecules with hydrogens towards the graphene surfaces, which in turn weakens the intermolecular bond network. The one-layer nanochannels have the biggest effect on the water structure and intermolecular bonding as well as on the adsorption of ions with only co-ions entering these nanochannels. The self-diffusivity of confined water is strongly reduced with respect to the bulk water and decreases with diminishing nanochannel heights except for the negatively-charged one-layer nanochannel. The self-diffusivity of ions also decreases with the reducing the nanochannel heights except for the self-diffusivity of cations in the negatively-charged one-layer nanochannel, evidencing cooperative diffusion of confined water and ions. Due to the significant break-up of the intermolecular bond network in the negatively-charged one-layer nanochannel, self-diffusion coefficients of water and cations exceed those for the two- and three-layer nanochannels and become comparable to the bulk values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliška Rezlerová
- Research Group of Molecular and Mesoscopic Modelling, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Prague, Czech Republic.
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Úst nad Labem, Ústín. Lab., Czech Republic
| | - Filip Moučka
- Research Group of Molecular and Mesoscopic Modelling, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Prague, Czech Republic.
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Úst nad Labem, Ústín. Lab., Czech Republic
| | - Milan Předota
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budě jovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Lísal
- Research Group of Molecular and Mesoscopic Modelling, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Prague, Czech Republic.
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Úst nad Labem, Ústín. Lab., Czech Republic
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Majumdar J, Dasgupta S, Mandal S, Moid M, Jain M, Maiti PK. Does twist angle affect the properties of water confined inside twisted bilayer graphene? J Chem Phys 2023; 158:034501. [PMID: 36681635 DOI: 10.1063/5.0139256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Graphene nanoslit pores are used for nanofluidic devices, such as, in water desalination, ion-selective channels, ionic transistors, sensing, molecular sieving, blue energy harvesting, and protein sequencing. It is a strenuous task to prepare nanofluidic devices, because a small misalignment leads to a significant alteration in various properties of the devices. Here, we focus on the rotational misalignment between two parallel graphene sheets. Using molecular dynamics simulation, we probe the structure and dynamics of monolayer water confined inside graphene nanochannels for a range of commensurate twist angles. With SPC/E and TIP4P/2005 water models, our simulations reveal the independence of the equilibrium number density- n ∼ 13 nm-2 for SPC/E and n ∼ 11.5 nm-2 for TIP4P/2005- across twists. Based on the respective densities of the water models, the structure and dielectric constant are invariant of twist angles. The confined water structure at this density shows square ice ordering for SPC/E water only. TIP4P/2005 shows ordering at the vicinity of a critical density (n ∼ 12.5 nm-2). The average perpendicular dielectric constant of the confined water remains anomalously low (∼2 for SPC/E and ∼6 for TIP4P/2005) for the studied twist angles. We find that the friction coefficient of confined water molecules varies for small twist angles, while becoming independent for twists greater than 5.1°. Our results indicate that a small, angular misalignment will not impair the dielectric properties of monolayer water within a graphene slit-pore, but can significantly influence its dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeet Majumdar
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Subhadeep Dasgupta
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Soham Mandal
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Mohd Moid
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Manish Jain
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Prabal K Maiti
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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6
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Mejri A, Mazouzi K, Herlem G, Picaud F, Hennequin T, Palmeri J, Manghi M. Molecular dynamics investigations of ionic conductance at the nanoscale: Role of the water model and geometric parameters. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.118575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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7
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Williams CD, Wei Z, Shaharudin MRB, Carbone P. A molecular simulation study into the stability of hydrated graphene nanochannels used in nanofluidics devices. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:3467-3479. [PMID: 35170614 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr08275b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Graphene-based nanochannels are a popular choice in emerging nanofluidics applications because of their tunable and nanometer-scale channels. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed both to (i) assess the stability of dry and hydrated graphene nanochannels and (ii) elucidate the properties of water confined in these channels, using replica-scale models with 0.66-2.38 nm channel heights. The use of flexible nanochannel walls allows the nanochannel height to relax in response to the solvation forces arising from the confined fluid and the forces between the confining surfaces, without the need for application of arbitrarily high external pressures. Dry nanochannels were found to completely collapse if the initial nanochannel height was less than 2 nm, due to attractive van der Waals interactions between the confining graphene surfaces. However, the presence of water was found to prevent total nanochannel collapse, due to repulsive hydration forces opposing the attractive van der Waals force. For nanochannel heights less than ∼1.7 nm, the confining surfaces must be relaxed to obtain accurate hydration pressures and water diffusion coefficients, by ensuring commensurability between the number of confined water layers and the channel height. For very small (∼0.7 nm), hydrated channels a pressure of 231 MPa due to the van der Waals forces was obtained. In the same system, the confined water forms a mobile, liquid monolayer with a diffusion coefficient of 4.0 × 10-5 cm2 s-1, much higher than bulk liquid water. Although this finding conflicts with most classical MD simulations, which predict in-plane order and arrested dynamics, it is supported by experiments and recently published first-principles MD simulations. Classical simulations can therefore be used to predict the properties of water confined in sub-nanometre graphene channels, providing sufficiently realistic molecular models and accurate intermolecular potentials are employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Williams
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, School of Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Zixuan Wei
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, School of Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Mohd Rafie Bin Shaharudin
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, School of Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Paola Carbone
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, School of Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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8
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Kraus H, Hansen N. An atomistic view on the uptake of aromatic compounds by cyclodextrin immobilized on mesoporous silica. ADSORPTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10450-022-00356-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe effect of immobilized $$\upbeta$$
β
-cyclodextrin (bCD) molecules inside a mesoporous silica support on the uptake of benzene and p-nitrophenol from aqueous solution was investigated using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The calculated adsorption isotherms are discussed with respect to the free energies of binding for a 1:1 complex of bCD and the aromatic guest molecule. The adsorption capacity of the bCD-containing material significantly exceeds the amount corresponding to a 1:1 binding scenario, in agreement with experimental observations. Beside the formation of 1:2 and, to a lesser extent, 1:3 host:guest complexes, also host–host interactions on the surface as well as more unspecific host–guest interactions govern the adsorption process. The demonstrated feasibility of classical all-atom MD simulations to calculate liquid phase adsorption isotherms paves the way to a molecular interpretation of experimental data that are too complex to be described by empirical models.
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9
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Goyal A, Palaia I, Ioannidou K, Ulm FJ, van Damme H, Pellenq RJM, Trizac E, Del Gado E. The physics of cement cohesion. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/32/eabg5882. [PMID: 34348896 PMCID: PMC8336951 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg5882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cement is the most produced material in the world. A major player in greenhouse gas emissions, it is the main binding agent in concrete, providing a cohesive strength that rapidly increases during setting. Understanding how such cohesion emerges is a major obstacle to advances in cement science and technology. Here, we combine computational statistical mechanics and theory to demonstrate how cement cohesion arises from the organization of interlocked ions and water, progressively confined in nanoslits between charged surfaces of calcium-silicate-hydrates. Because of the water/ions interlocking, dielectric screening is drastically reduced and ionic correlations are proven notably stronger than previously thought, dictating the evolution of nanoscale interactions during cement hydration. By developing a quantitative analytical prediction of cement cohesion based on Coulombic forces, we reconcile a fundamental understanding of cement hydration with the fully atomistic description of the solid cement paste and open new paths for scientific design of construction materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhay Goyal
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Ivan Palaia
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, LPTMS, 91405 Orsay, France
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Katerina Ioannidou
- Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology/CNRS/Aix-Marseille University Joint Laboratory, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Franz-Josef Ulm
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Henri van Damme
- École Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielle de la Ville de Paris, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Roland J-M Pellenq
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology/CNRS/Aix-Marseille University Joint Laboratory, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Physics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | | | - Emanuela Del Gado
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
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10
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Majumdar J, Moid M, Dasgupta C, Maiti PK. Dielectric Profile and Electromelting of a Monolayer of Water Confined in Graphene Slit Pore. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:6670-6680. [PMID: 34107687 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c02266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A monolayer of water confined between two parallel graphene sheets exists in many different phases and exhibits fascinating dielectric properties that have been studied in experiments. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to study how the dielectric properties of a confined monolayer of water is affected by its structure. We consider six of the popular nonpolarizable water models-SPC/E, SPC/Fw, TIP3P, TIP3P_M (modified), TIP4P-2005, and TIP4P-2005f-and find that the in-plane structure of the water molecules at ambient temperature and pressure is strongly dependent on the water model: all the 3-point water models considered here show square ice formation, whereas no such structural ordering is observed for the 4-point water models. This allows us to investigate the role of the in-plane structure of the water monolayer on its dielectric profile. Our simulations show an anomalous perpendicular dielectric constant compared to the bulk, and the models that do not exhibit ice formation show very different dielectric response along the channel width compared to models that exhibit square ice formation. We also demonstrate the occurrence of electromelting of the in-plane ordered water under the application of a perpendicular electric field and find that the critical field for electromelting strongly depends on the water model. Together, we have shown the dependence of confined water properties on the different water structures that it may take when sandwiched between bilayer graphene. These remarkable properties of confined water can be exploited in various nanofluidic devices, artificial ion channels, and molecular sieving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeet Majumdar
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Mohd Moid
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Chandan Dasgupta
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.,International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bangalore 560089, India
| | - Prabal K Maiti
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
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12
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Abbaspour M, Akbarzadeh H, Salemi S, Bahmanipour L. Structure, dynamics, and morphology of nanostructured water confined between parallel graphene surfaces and in carbon nanotubes by applying magnetic and electric fields. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:3085-3095. [PMID: 33596282 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01677b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Water molecules experience certain changes in their properties when they feel an external magnetic or electric field. These changes are significant in different applications, such as biological and biotechnological processes, nano-pumping, and water treatment. In this work, we have performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the different thermodynamics, structure, and dynamics of water molecules confined between two parallel surfaces and also confined in carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We have also applied different electric and magnetic fields in different directions to the confined molecules. In the graphene system, no polygonal shape was formed in either low or high electric fields, whereas rhombic and pentagonal shapes were formed in low and high magnetic fields. In the CNT system, applying electric fields in all three dimensions made the pentagonal shape disappear and the confined water molecules formed a ring shape when the electric field was applied in the axial direction. Applying the electric field perpendicular to the graphene surfaces increases the self-diffusion of the confined molecules, whereas applying the electric and magnetic fields along the CNT axis decreases the self-diffusion of the confined water molecules. In the graphene system, applying the electric field perpendicular to the graphene surfaces decreases the average number of hydrogen bonds (〈HB〉) whereas the magnetic field has little effect on the 〈HB〉. In the CNT system, applying Ex also leads to a smaller number of HBs. Also, applying the magnetic field along the x-direction (along the CNT direction) leads to a greater number of HBs than the other fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Abbaspour
- Department of Chemistry, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran.
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13
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Hosseini E, Zakertabrizi M, Habibnejad Korayem A, Carbone P, Esfandiar A, Shahsavari R. Mechanical hydrolysis imparts self-destruction of water molecules under steric confinement. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:5999-6008. [PMID: 33666607 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06186g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Decoding behavioral aspects associated with the water molecules in confined spaces such as an interlayer space of two-dimensional nanosheets is key for the fundamental understanding of water-matter interactions and identifying unexpected phenomena of water molecules in chemistry and physics. Although numerous studies have been conducted on the behavior of water molecules in confined spaces, their reach stops at the properties of the planar ice-like formation, where van der Waals interactions are the predominant interactions and many questions on the confined space such as the possibility of electron exchange and excitation state remain unsettled. We used density functional theory and reactive molecular dynamics to reveal orbital overlap and induction bonding between water molecules and graphene sheets under much less pressure than graphene fractures. Our study demonstrates high amounts of charge being transferred between water and the graphene sheets, as the interlayer space becomes smaller. As a result, the inner face of the graphene nanosheets is functionalized with hydroxyl and epoxy functional groups while released hydrogen in the form of protons either stays still or traverses a short distance inside the confined space via the Grotthuss mechanism. We found signatures of a new hydrolysis mechanism in the water molecules, i.e. mechanical hydrolysis, presumably responsible for relieving water from extremely confined conditions. This phenomenon where water reacts under extreme confinement by disintegration rather than forming ice-like structures is observed for the first time, illustrating the prospect of treating ultrafine porous nanostructures as a driver for water splitting and material functionalization, potentially impacting the modern design of nanofilters, nanochannels, nano-capacitators, sensors, and so on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Hosseini
- Nanomaterials Research Centre, School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Zakertabrizi
- Nanomaterials Research Centre, School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Asghar Habibnejad Korayem
- Nanomaterials Research Centre, School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran. and Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paola Carbone
- School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Ali Esfandiar
- Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11155-9161, Iran.
| | - Rouzbeh Shahsavari
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
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14
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Elliott JD, Troisi A, Carbone P. A QM/MD Coupling Method to Model the Ion-Induced Polarization of Graphene. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:5253-5263. [PMID: 32644791 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We report a new Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Dynamics (QM/MD) simulation loop to model the coupling between the electron and atom dynamics in solid/liquid interfacial systems. The method can describe simultaneously both the quantum mechanical surface polarizability emerging from the proximity to the electrolyte and the electrolyte structure and dynamics. In the current setup, Density Functional Tight Binding calculations for the electronic structure calculations of the surface are coupled with classical molecular dynamics to simulate the electrolyte solution. The reduced computational cost of the QM part makes the coupling with a classical simulation engine computationally feasible and allows simulation of large systems for hundreds of nanoseconds. We tested the method by simulating both a noncharged graphene flake and a noncharged and charged infinite graphene sheet immersed in an NaCl electrolyte solution. We found that, when no bias is applied, ions preferentially remained in solution, and only cations are mildly attracted to the surface of the graphene. This preferential adsorption of cations vs anions seems to persist also when the surface is moderately charged and rules out any substantial ions/surface charge transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Elliott
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Troisi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Paola Carbone
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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15
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Goswami A, Singh JK. A general topological network criterion for exploring the structure of icy nanoribbons and monolayers. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:3800-3808. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04902a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We develop intuitive metrics for quantifying complex nucleating systems under confinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Goswami
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
- India
| | - Jayant K. Singh
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
- India
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16
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Yagasaki T, Yamasaki M, Matsumoto M, Tanaka H. Formation of hot ice caused by carbon nanobrushes. J Chem Phys 2019. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5111843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Takuma Yagasaki
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Masaru Yamasaki
- Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Masakazu Matsumoto
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Hideki Tanaka
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
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17
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Zaragoza A, Gonzalez MA, Joly L, López-Montero I, Canales MA, Benavides AL, Valeriani C. Molecular dynamics study of nanoconfined TIP4P/2005 water: how confinement and temperature affect diffusion and viscosity. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:13653-13667. [PMID: 31190039 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp02485a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In the past few decades great effort has been devoted to the study of water confined in hydrophobic geometries at the nanoscale (tubes and slit pores) due to the multiple technological applications of such systems, ranging from drug delivery to water desalination devices. To our knowledge, neither numerical/theoretical nor experimental approaches have so far reached a consensual understanding of structural and transport properties of water under these conditions. In this work, we present molecular dynamics simulations of TIP4P/2005 water under different nanoconfinements (slit pores or nanotubes, with two degrees of hydrophobicity) within a wide temperature range. It has been found that water is more structured near the less hydrophobic walls, independently of the confining geometries. Meanwhile, we observe an enhanced diffusion coefficient of water in both hydrophobic nanotubes. Finally, we propose a confined Stokes-Einstein relation to obtain the viscosity from diffusivity, whose result strongly differs from the Green-Kubo expression that has been used in previous works. While viscosity computed with the Green-Kubo formula (applied for anisotropic and confined systems) strongly differs from that of the bulk, viscosity computed with the confined Stokes-Einstein relation is not so much affected by the confinement, independently of its geometry. We discuss the shortcomings of both approaches, which could explain this discrepancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zaragoza
- Departamento de Estructura de la Materia, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain. and Depto. Ingeniería Física, División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, 37150 León, Mexico
| | - M A Gonzalez
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - L Joly
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - I López-Montero
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain and Instituto de Investigación Hospital Doce de Octubre (i+12), Avenida de Córdoba s/n, 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - M A Canales
- Departamento de Química Orgánica I, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - A L Benavides
- Depto. Ingeniería Física, División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, Universidad de Guanajuato, 37150 León, Mexico
| | - C Valeriani
- Departamento de Estructura de la Materia, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Física Térmica y Electrónica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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18
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Pršlja P, Lomba E, Gómez-Álvarez P, Urbič T, Noya EG. Adsorption of water, methanol, and their mixtures in slit graphite pores. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:024705. [PMID: 30646695 PMCID: PMC6910600 DOI: 10.1063/1.5078603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The behavior of water, methanol, and water-methanol mixtures confined in narrow slit graphite pores as a function of pore size was investigated by Monte Carlo, hybrid Monte Carlo, and Molecular Dynamics simulations. Interactions were described using TIP4P/2005 for water, OPLS/2016 for methanol, and cross interactions fitted to excess water/methanol properties over the whole range of concentrations, which provide a rather accurate description of water-methanol mixtures. As expected for hydrophobic pores, whereas pure methanol is adsorbed already from the gas phase, pure water only enters the pore at pressures well beyond bulk saturation for all pore sizes considered. When adsorbed from a mixture, however, water adsorbs at much lower pressures due to the formation of hydrogen bonds with previously adsorbed methanol molecules. For all studied compositions and pore sizes, methanol adsorbs preferentially over water at liquid-vapor equilibrium conditions. In pure components, both water and methanol are microscopically structured in layers, the number of layers increasing with pore size. This is also the case in adsorbed mixtures, in which methanol has a higher affinity for the walls. This becomes more evident as the pore widens. Diffusion of pure water is higher than that of pure methanol for all pore sizes due to the larger size of the methyl group. In mixtures, both components present similar diffusivities at all pore sizes, which is explained in terms of the coupling of molecular movements due to strong hydrogen bonding between methanol and water molecules. This is particularly evident in very narrow pores, in which pure methanol diffusion is completely impeded on the time scale of our simulations, but the presence of a small amount of water molecules facilitates alcohol diffusion following a single-file mechanism. Additionally, our results indicate that pure water diffusivities display a non-monotonous dependence of pore size, due to effects of confinement (proximity to a fluid-solid-fluid transition induced by confinement as reported in previous work) and the dynamic anomalies of water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Pršlja
- Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano," Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Lomba
- Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano," Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Paula Gómez-Álvarez
- Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano," Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Tomaz Urbič
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva G Noya
- Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano," Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
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