Many-body interactions among adsorbed atoms and molecules within carbon nanotubes and in free space

Thermodynamic Properties of Vapor-Liquid Equilibria from Monte-Carlo Simulation using ab initio Intermolecular Potentials of Systems H2-H2 and F2-F2

In this work, we have been carried out GEMC-NVT simulations in the temperature range 18 K–32 K for fluid hydrogen and in range 60 K–140 K for fluid fluorine using four our developed ab initio 5-site intermolecular potentials for dimers H2-H2 and F2-F2, respectively. The thermodynamic properties of vapor-liquid equilibria and the critical points of fluids hydrogen and fluorine were calculated with the obtained densities of coexisting phases and vapor pressures. The simulation results drived from ab initio pair potentials were compared with those from ab initio potential plus three-body Axilrod-Teller potential and experimental data as well as those from Monte Carlo simulation using Lennard-Jones potentials, Deiters equation of state (D1-EOS) and Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation of state (EOS) reported in the literature.

Phase behavior of Ar and Kr films on carbon nanotubes

Recent experiments (Wang et al., 2010) have found evidence of phase transitions of gases adsorbed on a single carbon nanotube. In order to understand the observations, we have carried out classical grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of this system, for the cases of Ar and Kr on zigzag and armchair nanotubes with radius R > 0.7 nm. The calculated behavior resembles the experimental results in the case of Ar. However, the prominent, ordered phase found for Kr in both simulations and (classical) energy minimization calculations differs from that deduced from the experimental data. A tentative explanation of the apparent discrepancy is that the experiments involve a nanotube of rather large radius (>1.5 nm).

Van der Waals interaction between two crossed carbon nanotubes

The analytical expressions for the van der Waals potential energy and force between two crossed carbon nanotubes are presented. The Lennard-Jones potential between pairs of carbon atoms and the smeared-out approximation suggested by L. A. Girifalco (J. Phys. Chem. 1992, 96, 858) were used. The exact formula is expressed in terms of rational and elliptical functions. The potential and force for carbon nanotubes were calculated. The uniform potential curves for single- and multiwall nanotubes were plotted. The equilibrium distance, maximal attractive force, and potential energy have been evaluated.

Enthalpy and entropy effects in hydrogen adsorption on carbon nanotubes

Interaction energies and entropies associated with hydrogen adsorption on the inner and outer surfaces of zigzag single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) of various diameters are analyzed by means of molecular mechanics, density functional theory, and ab initio calculations. For a single molecule the strongest interaction, which is 3.5 greater than that with the planar graphite sheet, is found inside a (8,0) nanotube. Adsorption on the outer surfaces is weaker than that on graphite. Due to the steric considerations, both processes are accompanied by an extremely strong decline in entropy. Absence of specific adsorption sites and weak attractive interaction between hydrogen molecules within carbon nanotubes results in their close packing at low temperatures. Using the calculated geometric and thermodynamic parameters in Langmuir isotherms we predict the adsorption capacity of SWCNTs at room temperature to be smaller than 1 wt % even at 100 bar.

Formation of odd-numbered clusters of CO2 adsorbed on nanotube bundles

Simulations show that CO2 adsorbed in the groove sites of carbon nanotubes displays unique quasi-one-dimensional behavior. Clusters containing only odd numbers of molecules are formed at finite CO2 coverages and low temperatures. The molecules are orientationally ordered with respect to the nanotube groove axis and azimuthally ordered in the plane perpendicular to the groove axis. This ordering is a result of a delicate balance between solid-fluid and fluid-fluid forces; the CO2 quadrupole plays a critical role in the cluster formation and orientational ordering.

Adsorption of CF4 on the internal and external surfaces of opened single-walled carbon nanotubes: a vibrational spectroscopy study

Infrared spectroscopy has been used to make the first experimental discrimination between molecules bound by physisorption on the exterior surface of carbon single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) and molecules bound in the interior. In addition, the selective displacement of the internally bound molecules has been observed as a second adsorbate is added. SWNTs were opened by oxidative treatment with O(3) at room temperature, followed by heating in a vacuum to 873 K. It was found that, at 133 K and 0.033 Torr, CF(4) adsorbs on closed SWNTs, exhibiting its nu(3) asymmetric stretching mode at 1267 cm(-1) (red shift relative to the gas phase, 15 cm(-1)). Adsorption on the nanotube exterior is accompanied by adsorption in the interior in the case of opened SWNTs. Internally bound CF(4) exhibits its nu(3) mode at 1247 cm(-1) (red shift relative to the gas phase, 35 cm(-1)). It was shown that, at 133 K, Xe preferentially displaces internally bound CF(4) species, and this counterintuitive observation was confirmed by molecular simulations. The confinement of CF(4) inside (10,10) single-walled carbon nanotubes does not result in the production of lattice modes that are observed in large 3D ensembles of CF(4).

Ground state and thermal properties of a lattice gas on a cylindrical surface

Adsorbed gases within, or outside of, carbon nanotubes may be analyzed with an approximate model of adsorption on lattice sites situated on a cylindrical surface. Using this model, the ground state energies of alternative lattice structures are calculated, assuming Lennard-Jones pair interactions between the particles. The resulting energy and equilibrium structure are nonanalytic functions of radius (R) because of commensuration effects associated with the cylindrical geometry. Specifically, as R varies, structural transitions occur between configurations differing in the "ring number," defined as the number of atoms located at a common value of the longitudinal coordinate (z). The thermodynamic behavior of this system is evaluated at finite temperatures, using a Hamiltonian with nearest-neighbor interactions. The resulting specific heat bears a qualitative resemblance to that of the one-dimensional Ising model.

Compression of carbon nanotubes filled with C60, CH4, or Ne: predictions from molecular dynamics simulations

The effect of filling nanotubes with C60, CH4, or Ne on the mechanical properties of the nanotubes is examined. The approach is classical molecular dynamics using the reactive empirical bond order (REBO) and the adaptive intermolecular REBO potentials. The simulations predict that the buckling force of filled nanotubes can be larger than that of empty nanotubes, and the magnitude of the increase depends on the density of the filling material. In addition, these simulations demonstrate that the buckling force of empty nanotubes depends on temperature. Filling the nanotube disrupts this temperature effect so that it is no longer present in some cases.

Dilation-induced phases of gases absorbed within a bundle of carbon nanotubes

A study is presented of the effects of gas (especially H2) absorption within the interstitial channels of a bundle of carbon nanotubes. The ground state of the system is determined by minimizing the total energy, which includes the molecules' interaction with the tubes, the intertube interaction, and the molecules' mutual interaction (which is screened by the tubes). The consequences of swelling include a reduced threshold pressure for gas uptake and a 2.7% increase in the tubes' breathing mode frequency.