Improved Method for the Self-Diffusion Coefficient in the Modified Free Volume Theory: Simple Fluids

Study of Nanoparticle-Polymer Interactions via the Mechanical Stretching of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates

It is shown that the aligned electrospun fibers are a convenient platform for studying the mechanical effects on nanomaterials, particularly when using surface-enhanced Raman scattering as a sensitive tool of monitoring. The ligands on the surface of the embedded Au nanoparticles fall off easily with the shear force from the stretching, in contrast to the counterparts protected by polymer/silica shells. Upon stretching, the chains of Au nanoparticles will reversibly break, as revealed by the dramatic changes in the longitudinal plasmon absorption. It is believed that such a platform will open a window for understanding mechanical effects at the nanoscale, and also a new means for synthetic control.

Excess-entropy scaling for gas diffusivity in nanoporous materials

We present an efficient computational procedure for the rapid prediction of the self-diffusivity of gas molecules in nanoporous materials by a combination of the Knudsen model, Rosenfeld's excess-entropy scaling method, and a classical density functional theory (DFT). The self-diffusivity conforms to the Knudsen model at low density, and the effects of intermolecular interactions at higher densities are accounted for by Rosenfeld's excess-entropy scaling method. The classical DFT provides a convenient way to calculate the excess entropy used in the scaling analysis. The hybrid computational procedure has been calibrated with MD simulation for the adsorption of H2, He, Ne, and Ar gases in several nanoporous materials over a broad range of pressure. It predicts adsorption isotherms and different types of diffusion behavior in excellent agreement with the simulation results. Although the simulation of gas diffusion in nanoporous materials is extremely time-consuming, the new procedure is computationally very efficient because it uses only single molecular and thermodynamic parameters.