1
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Elishav O, Blumer O, Vanderlick TK, Hirshberg B. The effect of ligands on the size distribution of copper nanoclusters: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:164301. [PMID: 38647299 DOI: 10.1063/5.0202432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Controlling the size distribution in the nucleation of copper particles is crucial for achieving nanocrystals with desired physical and chemical properties. However, their synthesis involves a complex system of solvents, ligands, and copper precursors with intertwining effects on the size of the nanoclusters. We combine molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations to provide insights into the nucleation mechanism in the presence of a triphenyl phosphite ligand. We identify the crucial role of the strength of the metal-phosphine interaction in inhibiting the cluster's growth. We demonstrate computationally several practical routes to fine-tune the interaction strength by modifying the side groups of the additive. Our work provides molecular insights into the complex nucleation process of protected copper nanocrystals, which can assist in controlling their size distribution and, eventually, their morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oren Elishav
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
- School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Ofir Blumer
- School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - T Kyle Vanderlick
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Barak Hirshberg
- School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Ratner Center for Single Molecule Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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2
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Wang R, Mehdi S, Zou Z, Tiwary P. Is the Local Ion Density Sufficient to Drive NaCl Nucleation from the Melt and Aqueous Solution? J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:1012-1021. [PMID: 38262436 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Even though nucleation is ubiquitous in different science and engineering problems, investigating nucleation is extremely difficult due to the complicated ranges of time and length scales involved. In this work, we simulate NaCl nucleation in both molten and aqueous environments using enhanced sampling of all-atom molecular dynamics with deep-learning-based estimation of reaction coordinates. By incorporating various structural order parameters and learning the reaction coordinate as a function thereof, we achieve significantly improved sampling relative to traditional ad hoc descriptions of what drives nucleation, particularly in an aqueous medium. Our results reveal a one-step nucleation mechanism in both environments, with reaction coordinate analysis highlighting the importance of local ion density in distinguishing solid and liquid states. However, although fluctuations in the local ion density are necessary to drive nucleation, they are not sufficient. Our analysis shows that near the transition states, descriptors such as enthalpy and local structure become crucial. Our protocol proposed here enables robust nucleation analysis and phase sampling and could offer insights into nucleation mechanisms for generic small molecules in different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyu Wang
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Shams Mehdi
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Biophysics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Ziyue Zou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Pratyush Tiwary
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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3
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Zhao R, Zou Z, Weeks JD, Tiwary P. Quantifying the Relevance of Long-Range Forces for Crystal Nucleation in Water. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:9093-9101. [PMID: 38084039 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c01120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Understanding nucleation from aqueous solutions is of fundamental importance in a multitude of fields, ranging from materials science to biophysics. The complex solvent-mediated interactions in aqueous solutions hamper the development of a simple physical picture, elucidating the roles of different interactions in nucleation processes. In this work, we make use of three complementary techniques to disentangle the role played by short- and long-range interactions in solvent-mediated nucleation. Specifically, the first approach we utilize is the local molecular field (LMF) theory to renormalize long-range Coulomb electrostatics. Second, we use well-tempered metadynamics to speed up rare events governed by short-range interactions. Third, the deep learning-based State Predictive Information Bottleneck approach is employed in analyzing the reaction coordinate of the nucleation processes obtained from the LMF treatment coupled with well-tempered metadynamics. We find that the two-step nucleation mechanism can largely be captured by the short-range interactions, while the long-range interactions further contribute to the stability of the primary crystal state under ambient conditions. Furthermore, by analyzing the reaction coordinate obtained from the combined LMF-metadynamics treatment, we discern the fluctuations on different time scales, highlighting the need for long-range interactions when accounting for metastability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renjie Zhao
- Chemical Physics Program and Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Ziyue Zou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - John D Weeks
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Pratyush Tiwary
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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4
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Algaba J, Zerón IM, Míguez JM, Grabowska J, Blazquez S, Sanz E, Vega C, Blas FJ. Solubility of carbon dioxide in water: Some useful results for hydrate nucleation. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:2889490. [PMID: 37158326 DOI: 10.1063/5.0146618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, the solubility of carbon dioxide (CO2) in water along the isobar of 400 bar is determined by computer simulations using the well-known TIP4P/Ice force field for water and the TraPPE model for CO2. In particular, the solubility of CO2 in water when in contact with the CO2 liquid phase and the solubility of CO2 in water when in contact with the hydrate have been determined. The solubility of CO2 in a liquid-liquid system decreases as the temperature increases. The solubility of CO2 in a hydrate-liquid system increases with temperature. The two curves intersect at a certain temperature that determines the dissociation temperature of the hydrate at 400 bar (T3). We compare the predictions with T3 obtained using the direct coexistence technique in a previous work. The results of both methods agree, and we suggest 290(2) K as the value of T3 for this system using the same cutoff distance for dispersive interactions. We also propose a novel and alternative route to evaluate the change in chemical potential for the formation of hydrates along the isobar. The new approach is based on the use of the solubility curve of CO2 when the aqueous solution is in contact with the hydrate phase. It considers rigorously the non-ideality of the aqueous solution of CO2, providing reliable values for the driving force for nucleation of hydrates in good agreement with other thermodynamic routes used. It is shown that the driving force for hydrate nucleation at 400 bar is larger for the methane hydrate than for the carbon dioxide hydrate when compared at the same supercooling. We have also analyzed and discussed the effect of the cutoff distance of dispersive interactions and the occupancy of CO2 on the driving force for nucleation of the hydrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Algaba
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - Iván M Zerón
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - José Manuel Míguez
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - Joanna Grabowska
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdansk University of Technology, ul. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
- Dpto. Química Física, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Samuel Blazquez
- Dpto. Química Física, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Sanz
- Dpto. Química Física, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Vega
- Dpto. Química Física, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Felipe J Blas
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
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5
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Korede V, Nagalingam N, Penha FM, van der Linden N, Padding JT, Hartkamp R, Eral HB. A Review of Laser-Induced Crystallization from Solution. CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN 2023; 23:3873-3916. [PMID: 37159656 PMCID: PMC10161235 DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.2c01526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Crystallization abounds in nature and industrial practice. A plethora of indispensable products ranging from agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals to battery materials are produced in crystalline form in industrial practice. Yet, our control over the crystallization process across scales, from molecular to macroscopic, is far from complete. This bottleneck not only hinders our ability to engineer the properties of crystalline products essential for maintaining our quality of life but also hampers progress toward a sustainable circular economy in resource recovery. In recent years, approaches leveraging light fields have emerged as promising alternatives to manipulate crystallization. In this review article, we classify laser-induced crystallization approaches where light-material interactions are utilized to influence crystallization phenomena according to proposed underlying mechanisms and experimental setups. We discuss nonphotochemical laser-induced nucleation, high-intensity laser-induced nucleation, laser trapping-induced crystallization, and indirect methods in detail. Throughout the review, we highlight connections among these separately evolving subfields to encourage the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Korede
- Process
& Energy Department, Delft University
of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Nagaraj Nagalingam
- Process
& Energy Department, Delft University
of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Frederico Marques Penha
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute
of Technology, Teknikringen
42, 114-28 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Noah van der Linden
- Process
& Energy Department, Delft University
of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Johan T. Padding
- Process
& Energy Department, Delft University
of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Remco Hartkamp
- Process
& Energy Department, Delft University
of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Huseyin Burak Eral
- Process
& Energy Department, Delft University
of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
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6
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Karmakar T, Finney AR, Salvalaglio M, Yazaydin AO, Perego C. Non-Equilibrium Modeling of Concentration-Driven processes with Constant Chemical Potential Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Acc Chem Res 2023; 56:1156-1167. [PMID: 37120847 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
ConspectusConcentration-driven processes in solution, i.e., phenomena that are sustained by persistent concentration gradients, such as crystallization and surface adsorption, are fundamental chemical processes. Understanding such phenomena is crucial for countless applications, from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology. Molecular dynamics (MD), both in- and out-of-equilibrium, plays an essential role in the current understanding of concentration-driven processes. Computational costs, however, impose drastic limitations on the accessible scale of simulated systems, hampering the effective study of such phenomena. In particular, due to these size limitations, closed system MD of concentration-driven processes is affected by solution depletion/enrichment that unavoidably impacts the dynamics of the chemical phenomena under study. As a notable example, in simulations of crystallization from solution, the transfer of monomers between the liquid and crystal phases results in a gradual depletion/enrichment of solution concentration, altering the driving force for phase transition. In contrast, this effect is negligible in experiments, given the macroscopic size of the solution volume. Because of these limitations, accurate MD characterization of concentration-driven phenomena has proven to be a long-standing simulation challenge. While disparate equilibrium and nonequilibrium simulation strategies have been proposed to address the study of such processes, the methodologies are in continuous development.In this context, a novel simulation technique named constant chemical potential molecular dynamics (CμMD) was recently proposed. CμMD employs properly designed, concentration-dependent external forces that regulate the flux of solute species between selected subregions of the simulation volume. This enables simulations of systems under a constant chemical drive in an efficient and straightforward way. The CμMD scheme was originally applied to the case of crystal growth from solution and then extended to the simulation of various physicochemical processes, resulting in new variants of the method. This Account illustrates the CμMD method and the key advances enabled by it in the framework of in silico chemistry. We review results obtained in crystallization studies, where CμMD allows growth rate calculations and equilibrium shape predictions, and in adsorption studies, where adsorption thermodynamics on porous or solid surfaces was correctly characterized via CμMD. Furthermore, we will discuss the application of CμMD variants to simulate permeation through porous materials, solution separation, and nucleation upon fixed concentration gradients. While presenting the numerous applications of the method, we provide an original and comprehensive assessment of concentration-driven simulations using CμMD. To this end, we also shed light on the theoretical and technical foundations of CμMD, underlining the novelty and specificity of the method with respect to existing techniques while stressing its current limitations. Overall, the application of CμMD to a diverse range of fields provides new insight into many physicochemical processes, the in silico study of which has been hitherto limited by finite-size effects. In this context, CμMD stands out as a general-purpose method that promises to be an invaluable simulation tool for studying molecular-scale concentration-driven phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarak Karmakar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Aaron R Finney
- Thomas Young Centre and Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
| | - Matteo Salvalaglio
- Thomas Young Centre and Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
| | - A Ozgur Yazaydin
- Thomas Young Centre and Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom
| | - Claudio Perego
- Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Polo Universitario Lugano, via la Santa 1, 6962 Lugano-Viganello, Switzerland
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7
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Aasen A, Wilhelmsen Ø, Hammer M, Reguera D. Free energy of critical droplets-from the binodal to the spinodal. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:114108. [PMID: 36948791 DOI: 10.1063/5.0142533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Arguably, the main challenge of nucleation theory is to accurately evaluate the work of formation of a critical embryo in the new phase, which governs the nucleation rate. In Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT), this work of formation is estimated using the capillarity approximation, which relies on the value of the planar surface tension. This approximation has been blamed for the large discrepancies between predictions from CNT and experiments. In this work, we present a study of the free energy of formation of critical clusters of the Lennard-Jones fluid truncated and shifted at 2.5σ using Monte Carlo simulations, density gradient theory, and density functional theory. We find that density gradient theory and density functional theory accurately reproduce molecular simulation results for critical droplet sizes and their free energies. The capillarity approximation grossly overestimates the free energy of small droplets. The incorporation of curvature corrections up to the second order with the Helfrich expansion greatly remedies this and performs very well for most of the experimentally accessible regions. However, it is imprecise for the smallest droplets and largest metastabilities since it does not account for a vanishing nucleation barrier at the spinodal. To remedy this, we propose a scaling function that uses all relevant ingredients without adding fitting parameters. The scaling function reproduces accurately the free energy of the formation of critical droplets for the entire metastability range and all temperatures examined and deviates from density gradient theory by less than one kBT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailo Aasen
- SINTEF Energy Research, NO-7465 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | - David Reguera
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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8
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Neha, Tiwari V, Mondal S, Kumari N, Karmakar T. Collective Variables for Crystallization Simulations-from Early Developments to Recent Advances. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:127-146. [PMID: 36643553 PMCID: PMC9835087 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Crystallization is an important physicochemical process which has relevance in material science, biology, and the environment. Decades of experimental and theoretical efforts have been made to understand this fundamental symmetry-breaking transition. While experiments provide equilibrium structures and shapes of crystals, they are limited to unraveling how molecules aggregate to form crystal nuclei that subsequently transform into bulk crystals. Computer simulations, mainly molecular dynamics (MD), can provide such microscopic details during the early stage of a crystallization event. Crystallization is a rare event that takes place in time scales much longer than a typical equilibrium MD simulation can sample. This inadequate sampling of the MD method can be easily circumvented by the use of enhanced sampling (ES) simulations. In most of the ES methods, the fluctuations of a system's slow degrees of freedom, called collective variables (CVs), are enhanced by applying a bias potential. This transforms the system from one state to the other within a short time scale. The most crucial part of such CV-based ES methods is to find suitable CVs, which often needs intuition and several trial-and-error optimization steps. Over the years, a plethora of CVs has been developed and applied in the study of crystallization. In this review, we provide a brief overview of CVs that have been developed and used in ES simulations to study crystallization from melt or solution. These CVs can be categorized mainly into four types: (i) spherical particle-based, (ii) molecular template-based, (iii) physical property-based, and (iv) CVs obtained from dimensionality reduction techniques. We present the context-based evolution of CVs, discuss the current challenges, and propose future directions to further develop effective CVs for the study of crystallization of complex systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Tarak Karmakar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi110016, India
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9
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Abstract
Nucleation and growth are critical steps in crystallization, which plays an important role in determining crystal structure, size, morphology, and purity. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of nucleation and growth is crucial to realize the controllable fabrication of crystalline products with desired and reproducible properties. Based on classical models, the initial crystal nucleus is formed by the spontaneous aggregation of ions, atoms, or molecules, and crystal growth is dependent on the monomer's diffusion and the surface reaction. Recently, numerous in situ investigations on crystallization dynamics have uncovered the existence of nonclassical mechanisms. This review provides a summary and highlights the in situ studies of crystal nucleation and growth, with a particular emphasis on the state-of-the-art research progress since the year 2016, and includes technological advances, atomic-scale observations, substrate- and temperature-dependent nucleation and growth, and the progress achieved in the various materials: metals, alloys, metallic compounds, colloids, and proteins. Finally, the forthcoming opportunities and challenges in this fascinating field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Li
- Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Devices for Special Environments, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Materials and Devices, 40-1 South Beijing Road, Urumqi830011, China.,Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Francis Leonard Deepak
- Nanostructured Materials Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Av. Mestre Jose Veiga, 4715-330Braga, Portugal
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10
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Roy S, Bocharova V, Stack AG, Bryantsev VS. Nucleation Rate Theory for Coordination Number: Elucidating Water-Mediated Formation of a Zigzag Na 2SO 4 Morphology. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:53213-53227. [PMID: 36395432 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c17475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Predicting and controlling nanostructure formation during nucleation can pave the way to synthesizing novel energy materials via crystallization. However, such control over nucleation and crystallization remains challenging due to an inadequate understanding of critical factors that govern evolving atomistic structures and dynamics. Herein, we utilize coordination number as a reaction coordinate and rate theory to investigate how sodium sulfate, commonly known as a phase-change energy material, nucleates in a supersaturated aqueous solution. In conjunction with ab initio and force field-based molecular dynamics simulation, the rate theoretical analysis reveals that sodium sulfate from an initially dissolved metastable state transits to a heterogeneous mixture of prenucleated clusters and finally to a large cylindrical zigzag morphology. Measurements of Raman spectra and their ab initio modeling confirm that this nucleated morphology contains a few waters for every sulfate. Rate processes such as solvent exchange and desolvation exhibit high sensitivity to the evolving prenucleation/nucleation structures, providing a means to distinguish between critical nucleation precursors. Desolvation and forming the first-shell interionic coordination structure via monomer-by-monomer addition around sulfates are found to explain the formation of large nuclei. Thus, a detailed understanding of the step-by-step structure formation across scales has been achieved. This can be leveraged to predict nucleation-related structures and dynamics and potentially control the synthesis of novel phase-change materials for energy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Roy
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37830, United States
| | - Vera Bocharova
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37830, United States
| | - Andrew G Stack
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37830, United States
| | - Vyacheslav S Bryantsev
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37830, United States
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11
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Balestra SRG, Semino R. Computer simulation of the early stages of self-assembly and thermal decomposition of ZIF-8. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:184502. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0128656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
We employ all-atom well-tempered metadynamics simulations to study the mechanistic details of both the early stages of nucleation and crystal decomposition for the benchmark metal–organic framework (MOF) ZIF-8. To do so, we developed and validated a force field that reliably models the modes of coordination bonds via a Morse potential functional form and employs cationic and anionic dummy atoms to capture coordination symmetry. We also explored a set of physically relevant collective variables and carefully selected an appropriate subset for our problem at hand. After a rapid increase of the Zn–N connectivity, we observe the evaporation of small clusters in favor of a few large clusters, which leads to the formation of an amorphous highly connected aggregate. [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] complexes are observed with lifetimes in the order of a few picoseconds, while larger structures, such as four-, five-, and six-membered rings, have substantially longer lifetimes of a few nanoseconds. The free ligands act as “templating agents” for the formation of sodalite cages. ZIF-8 crystal decomposition results in the formation of a vitreous phase. Our findings contribute to a fundamental understanding of MOF’s synthesis that paves the way to controlling synthesis products. Furthermore, our developed force field and methodology can be applied to model solution processes that require coordination bond reactivity for other ZIFs besides ZIF-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. R. G. Balestra
- ICGM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Ctra. Utrera km 1, Seville ES-41013, Spain
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMM-CSIC), c/ Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, Madrid ES-28049, Spain
| | - R. Semino
- ICGM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Electrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France
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12
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Li S, Chen L, Gui X, He D, Hu J, Huang Z, Lin S, Tu Y, Dong Y. Molecular Dynamics Simulation for Thiolated Poly(ethylene glycol) at Low‐Temperature Based on the Density Functional Tight‐Binding Method. ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/adts.202200281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shi Li
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering Anhui Polytechnic University Wuhu 241000 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Lei Chen
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Xuefeng Gui
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Materials for Electronics Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Special Fine Chemicals Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- Incubator of Nanxiong CAS Co. Ltd. Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
| | - Daguang He
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Jiwen Hu
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Materials for Electronics Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Special Fine Chemicals Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- Incubator of Nanxiong CAS Co. Ltd. Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
| | - Zhenzhu Huang
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Materials for Electronics Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Special Fine Chemicals Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- Incubator of Nanxiong CAS Co. Ltd. Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
| | - Shudong Lin
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Materials for Electronics Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Special Fine Chemicals Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- Incubator of Nanxiong CAS Co. Ltd. Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Tu
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Polymer Materials for Electronics Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- CAS Engineering Laboratory for Special Fine Chemicals Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- Incubator of Nanxiong CAS Co. Ltd. Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
| | - Yonglu Dong
- Guangzhou Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou 510650 P. R. China
- Incubator of Nanxiong CAS Co. Ltd. Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
- Management Committee of Shaoguan NanXiong Hi‐Tech Industry Development Zone Nanxiong 512400 P. R. China
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13
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Grabowska J, Blazquez S, Sanz E, Zerón IM, Algaba J, Míguez JM, Blas FJ, Vega C. Solubility of Methane in Water: Some Useful Results for Hydrate Nucleation. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:8553-8570. [PMID: 36222501 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, the solubility of methane in water along the 400 bar isobar is determined by computer simulations using the TIP4P/Ice force field for water and a simple LJ model for methane. In particular, the solubility of methane in water when in contact with the gas phase and the solubility of methane in water when in contact with the hydrate has been determined. The solubility of methane in a gas-liquid system decreases as temperature increases. The solubility of methane in a hydrate-liquid system increases with temperature. The two curves intersect at a certain temperature that determines the triple point T3 at a certain pressure. We also determined T3 by the three-phase direct coexistence method. The results of both methods agree, and we suggest 295(2) K as the value of T3 for this system. We also analyzed the impact of curvature on the solubility of methane in water. We found that the presence of curvature increases the solubility in both the gas-liquid and hydrate-liquid systems. The change in chemical potential for the formation of hydrate is evaluated along the isobar using two different thermodynamic routes, obtaining good agreement between them. It is shown that the driving force for hydrate nucleation under experimental conditions is higher than that for the formation of pure ice when compared at the same supercooling. We also show that supersaturation (i.e., concentrations above those of the planar interface) increases the driving force for nucleation dramatically. The effect of bubbles can be equivalent to that of an additional supercooling of about 20 K. Having highly supersaturated homogeneous solutions makes possible the spontaneous formation of the hydrate at temperatures as high as 285 K (i.e., 10K below T3). The crucial role of the concentration of methane for hydrate formation is clearly revealed. Nucleation of the hydrate can be either impossible or easy and fast depending on the concentration of methane which seems to play the leading role in the understanding of the kinetics of hydrate formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Grabowska
- Departamento Química Física I, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and BioTechMed Center, Gdansk University of Technology, ul. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Samuel Blazquez
- Departamento Química Física I, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Sanz
- Departamento Química Física I, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Iván M Zerón
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - Jesús Algaba
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - José Manuel Míguez
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - Felipe J Blas
- Laboratorio de Simulación Molecular y Química Computacional, CIQSO-Centro de Investigación en Química Sostenible and Departamento de Ciencias Integradas, Universidad de Huelva, 21006 Huelva, Spain
| | - Carlos Vega
- Departamento Química Física I, Fac. Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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14
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Bjelobrk Z, Rajagopalan AK, Mendels D, Karmakar T, Parrinello M, Mazzotti M. Solubility of Organic Salts in Solvent-Antisolvent Mixtures: A Combined Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulations Approach. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:4952-4959. [PMID: 35833664 PMCID: PMC9367008 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We combine molecular dynamics simulations with experiments to estimate solubilities of an organic salt in complex growth environments. We predict the solubility by simulations of the growth and dissolution of ions at the crystal surface kink sites at different solution concentrations. Thereby, the solubility is identified as the solution's salt concentration, where the energy of the ion pair dissolved in solution equals the energy of the ion pair crystallized at the kink sites. The simulation methodology is demonstrated for the case of anhydrous sodium acetate crystallized from various solvent-antisolvent mixtures. To validate the predicted solubilities, we have measured the solubilities of sodium acetate in-house, using an experimental setup and measurement protocol that guarantees moisture-free conditions, which is key for a hygroscopic compound like sodium acetate. We observe excellent agreement between the experimental and the computationally evaluated solubilities for sodium acetate in different solvent-antisolvent mixtures. Given the agreement and the rich data the simulations produce, we can use them to complement experimental tasks, which in turn will reduce time and capital in the design of complicated industrial crystallization processes of organic salts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoran Bjelobrk
- Institute of Energy and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich CH-8092, Switzerland
| | - Ashwin Kumar Rajagopalan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Dan Mendels
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Tarak Karmakar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Michele Parrinello
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Morego, 30, Genova 16163, Italy
| | - Marco Mazzotti
- Institute of Energy and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, Zürich CH-8092, Switzerland
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15
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Gebauer D, Gale JD, Cölfen H. Crystal Nucleation and Growth of Inorganic Ionic Materials from Aqueous Solution: Selected Recent Developments, and Implications. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2107735. [PMID: 35678091 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202107735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In this review article, selected, latest theoretical, and experimental developments in the field of nucleation and crystal growth of inorganic materials from aqueous solution are highlighted, with a focus on literature after 2015 and on non-classical pathways. A key point is to emphasize the so far underappreciated role of water and solvent entropy in crystallization at all stages from solution speciation through to the final crystal. While drawing on examples from current inorganic materials where non-classical behavior has been proposed, the potential of these approaches to be adapted to a wide-range of systems is also discussed, while considering the broader implications of the current re-assessment of pathways for crystallization. Various techniques that are suitable for the exploration of crystallization pathways in aqueous solution, from nucleation to crystal growth are summarized, and a flow chart for the assignment of specific theories based on experimental observations is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Gebauer
- Leibniz University Hannover, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Callinstr. 9, 30167, Hannover, Germany
| | - Julian D Gale
- Curtin Institute for Computation/The Institute for Geoscience Research (TiGER), School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, PO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia, 6845, Australia
| | - Helmut Cölfen
- University of Konstanz, Physical Chemistry, Universitätsstr. 10, 78465, Konstanz, Germany
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16
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Lodesani F, Menziani MC, Urata S, Pedone A. Biasing Crystallization in Fused Silica: An Assessment of Optimal Metadynamics Parameters. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:194501. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0089183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Metadynamics is a useful technique to study rare events such as crystallization. It has been only recently applied to study nucleation and crystallization in glass-forming liquids such as silicates but the optimal set of parameters to drive crystallization and obtaining converged Free Energy Surfaces is still unexplored. <p>In this work, we systematically investigated the effects of the simulation conditions to efficiently study the thermodynamics and mechanism of crystallization in highly viscous systems. As a prototype system, we used fused silica, which easily crystallizes to β-cristobalite through MetaD simulations, owing to its simple microstructure. We investigated the influence of the height, width, and bias factor used to define the biasing Gaussian potential, as well as the effects of the temperature and system size on the results. Among these parameters, the bias factor and temperature seem to be most effective to sample the free energy landscape of melt to crystal transition and reach convergence more quickly. We also demonstrate that the temperature rescaling from T > Tm is a reliable approach to recover free energy surfaces below Tm, provided that the temperature gap is below 600 K and the configurational space has been properly sampled. Finally, albeit a complete crystallization is hard to achieve with large simulation boxes, these can be reliably and effectively exploited to study the first stages of nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Lodesani
- Universita degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Menziani
- Universita degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Italy
| | - Shingo Urata
- Innovative Technology Laboratories, AGC Inc., Japan
| | - Alfonso Pedone
- Universita degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Italy
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17
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P Lamas C, R Espinosa J, M Conde M, Ramírez J, Montero de Hijes P, G Noya E, Vega C, Sanz E. Homogeneous nucleation of NaCl in supersaturated solutions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:26843-26852. [PMID: 34817484 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp02093e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The seeding method is an approximate approach to investigate nucleation that combines molecular dynamics simulations with classical nucleation theory. Recently, this technique has been successfully implemented in a broad range of nucleation studies. However, its accuracy is subject to the arbitrary choice of the order parameter threshold used to distinguish liquid-like from solid-like molecules. We revisit here the crystallization of NaCl from a supersaturated brine solution and show that consistency between seeding and rigorous methods, like Forward Flux Sampling (from previous work) or spontaneous crystallization (from this work), is achieved by following a mislabelling criterion to select such threshold (i.e. equaling the fraction of the mislabelled particles in the bulk parent and nucleating phases). This work supports the use of seeding to obtain fast and reasonably accurate nucleation rate estimates and the mislabelling criterion as one giving the relevant cluster size for classical nucleation theory in crystallization studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- C P Lamas
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain. .,Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC, Calle Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - J R Espinosa
- Maxwell Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0H3, UK
| | - M M Conde
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química Industrial y Medio Ambiente, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Ramírez
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química Industrial y Medio Ambiente, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Montero de Hijes
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - E G Noya
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC, Calle Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - C Vega
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - E Sanz
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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18
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Elts E, Luxenburger F, Briesen H. Influence of Monovalent Salts on α-Glycine Crystal Growth from Aqueous Solution: Molecular Dynamics Simulations at Constant Supersaturation Conditions. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:11732-11741. [PMID: 34643406 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c07168] [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
The growth of α-glycine crystals from aqueous solution is investigated at constant supersaturations by utilizing the constant chemical potential molecular dynamics method. The study considers two faces (010) and (011) that predominantly determine the α-glycine crystal morphology. The general Amber force field (GAFF) with two different charge sets derived from semi-empirical calculations using the complete neglect of differential overlap method (CNDO) and from density functional calculations using the double-numerical plus d- and p-polarization basis set (DNP) is applied to describe α-glycine. The extended simple point charge model is used to simulate water. It is observed that the GAFF/DNP set leads to a much slower integration of glycine molecules into the crystal structure than the GAFF/CNDO set. The GAFF/CNDO set, however, causes the growth even at concentrations well below the experimental solubility. For the GAFF/DNP set, the influence of potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl) on the face growth rates is investigated. The parameters recently proposed by Yagasaki et al. [J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2020, 16, 2460-2473] are used to describe salt ions, as standard GAFF parameters lead to the unexpected formation of salt clusters at a concentration lower than the experimental solubility value. According to our simulation results, both salts suppress the growth of the (011) and (010) faces. The inhibiting effect of NaCl is much stronger than that of KCl for the (011) face, while both salts have a similar inhibiting effect on the (010) face. The results are in line with the experimental observations of the impact of salt ions on the α-glycine growth rates for the (011) face reported in literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Elts
- Chair of Process Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Frederik Luxenburger
- Chair of Process Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Heiko Briesen
- Chair of Process Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
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19
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Bal KM. Nucleation rates from small scale atomistic simulations and transition state theory. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:144111. [PMID: 34654300 DOI: 10.1063/5.0063398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The evaluation of nucleation rates from molecular dynamics trajectories is hampered by the slow nucleation time scale and impact of finite size effects. Here, we show that accurate nucleation rates can be obtained in a very general fashion relying only on the free energy barrier, transition state theory, and a simple dynamical correction for diffusive recrossing. In this setup, the time scale problem is overcome by using enhanced sampling methods, in casu metadynamics, whereas the impact of finite size effects can be naturally circumvented by reconstructing the free energy surface from an appropriate ensemble. Approximations from classical nucleation theory are avoided. We demonstrate the accuracy of the approach by calculating macroscopic rates of droplet nucleation from argon vapor, spanning 16 orders of magnitude and in excellent agreement with literature results, all from simulations of very small (512 atom) systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristof M Bal
- Department of Chemistry and NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
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20
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Blow KE, Quigley D, Sosso GC. The seven deadly sins: When computing crystal nucleation rates, the devil is in the details. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:040901. [PMID: 34340373 DOI: 10.1063/5.0055248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of crystals has proven to be one of the most challenging phase transformations to quantitatively model-let alone to actually understand-be it by means of the latest experimental technique or the full arsenal of enhanced sampling approaches at our disposal. One of the most crucial quantities involved with the crystallization process is the nucleation rate, a single elusive number that is supposed to quantify the average probability for a nucleus of critical size to occur within a certain volume and time span. A substantial amount of effort has been devoted to attempt a connection between the crystal nucleation rates computed by means of atomistic simulations and their experimentally measured counterparts. Sadly, this endeavor almost invariably fails to some extent, with the venerable classical nucleation theory typically blamed as the main culprit. Here, we review some of the recent advances in the field, focusing on a number of perhaps more subtle details that are sometimes overlooked when computing nucleation rates. We believe it is important for the community to be aware of the full impact of aspects, such as finite size effects and slow dynamics, that often introduce inconspicuous and yet non-negligible sources of uncertainty into our simulations. In fact, it is key to obtain robust and reproducible trends to be leveraged so as to shed new light on the kinetics of a process, that of crystal nucleation, which is involved into countless practical applications, from the formulation of pharmaceutical drugs to the manufacturing of nano-electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina E Blow
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - David Quigley
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriele C Sosso
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
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21
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Addula RKR, Punnathanam SN. Molecular Theory of Nucleation from Dilute Phases: Formulation and Application to Lennard-Jones Vapor. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:146001. [PMID: 33891434 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.146001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this Letter, we present a molecular theory of nucleation from dilute phases such as vapors or dilute solutions. The theory can model the nonclassical two-step crystal nucleation seen in many systems. When applied to study and analyze the crystal nucleation pathways from Lennard-Jones vapor, we find that prior explanations of the two-step mechanism based on lower barrier height for liquid nuclei is incomplete. The analysis from the molecular theory reveal that a complete explanation would also require consideration of anisotropy in the diffusion constants for growth of liquid droplets vis-á-vis the crystal nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sudeep N Punnathanam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
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22
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Finney A, Salvalaglio M. Multiple Pathways in NaCl Homogeneous Crystal Nucleation. Faraday Discuss 2021; 235:56-80. [DOI: 10.1039/d1fd00089f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
NaCl crystal nucleation from metastable solutions has long been considered to occur according to a single-step mechanism where the growth in the size and crystalline order of the emerging nuclei...
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23
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Ansari N, Karmakar T, Parrinello M. Molecular Mechanism of Gas Solubility in Liquid: Constant Chemical Potential Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2020; 16:5279-5286. [PMID: 32551636 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.0c00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Accurate prediction of gas solubility in a liquid is crucial in many areas of chemistry, and a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of the gas solvation continues to be an active area of research. Here, we extend the idea of the constant chemical potential molecular dynamics (CμMD) approach to the calculation of the gas solubility in the liquid under constant gas chemical potential conditions. As a representative example, we utilize this method to calculate the isothermal solubility of carbon dioxide in water. Additionally, we provide microscopic insight into the mechanism of solvation that preferentially occurs in areas of the surface where the hydrogen network is broken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Ansari
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.,Facoltà di informatica, Istituto di Scienze Computazionali, Università della Svizzera Italiana, CH-6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Tarak Karmakar
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.,Facoltà di informatica, Istituto di Scienze Computazionali, Università della Svizzera Italiana, CH-6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Michele Parrinello
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.,Facoltà di informatica, Istituto di Scienze Computazionali, Università della Svizzera Italiana, CH-6900 Lugano, Switzerland.,Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
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24
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Reber D, Takenaka N, Kühnel RS, Yamada A, Battaglia C. Impact of Anion Asymmetry on Local Structure and Supercooling Behavior of Water-in-Salt Electrolytes. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:4720-4725. [PMID: 32492350 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Salts with asymmetric (fluorosulfonyl)(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (FTFSI) anions have recently been shown to suppress crystallization of water-in-salt electrolytes, enabling low-temperature operation of high-voltage aqueous rechargeable batteries. To clarify the underlying mechanism for the kinetic suppression of crystallization, we investigate the local solution structures and dynamic behaviors of water-in-salt electrolytes based on the asymmetric FTFSI anion and its symmetric anion analogues by Raman spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. We find that monodentate coordination of FTFSI to cations leads to high rotational mobility of the uncoordinated SO2CF3 group. We conclude that the peculiar, coordination-dependent, local dynamics in the asymmetric FTFSI anion, manifested by enhanced intramolecular bond rotation, enables the strong supercooling behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Reber
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Institut des Matériaux, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Norio Takenaka
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
- Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts & Batteries (ESICB), Kyoto University, 1-30, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan
| | - Ruben-Simon Kühnel
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Atsuo Yamada
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
- Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts & Batteries (ESICB), Kyoto University, 1-30, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan
| | - Corsin Battaglia
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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25
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Finney AR, Innocenti Malini R, Freeman CL, Harding JH. Amino Acid and Oligopeptide Effects on Calcium Carbonate Solutions. CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN 2020; 20:3077-3092. [PMID: 32581657 PMCID: PMC7304842 DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.9b01693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Biological organisms display sophisticated control of nucleation and crystallization of minerals. In order to mimic living systems, deciphering the mechanisms by which organic molecules control the formation of mineral phases from solution is a key step. We have used computer simulations to investigate the effects of the amino acids arginine, aspartic acid, and glycine on species that form in solutions of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) at lower and higher levels of supersaturation. This provides net positive, negative, and neutral additives. In addition, we have prepared simulations containing hexapeptides of the amino acids to consider the effect of additive size on the solution species. We find that additives have limited impact on the formation of extended, liquid-like CaCO3 networks in supersaturated solutions. Additives control the amount of (bi)carbonate in solution, but more importantly, they are able to stabilize these networks on the time scales of the simulations. This is achieved by coordinating the networks and assembled additive clusters in solutions. The association leads to subtle changes in the coordination of CaCO3 and reduced mobility of the cations. We find that the number of solute association sites and the size and topology of the additives are more important than their net charge. Our results help to understand why polymer additives are so effective at stabilizing dense liquid CaCO3 phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron R. Finney
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, United Kingdom
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University College
London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- E-mail:
| | - Riccardo Innocenti Malini
- Laboratory
for Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles, EMPA,
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, St. Gallen 9014, Switzerland
| | - Colin L. Freeman
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, United Kingdom
| | - John H. Harding
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, United Kingdom
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