Water permeability of poly(ethylene terephthalate): A grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation study

Self-Assembly of Model Three- and Four-Patch Colloidal Particles in Two Dimensions

A coarse-grained effective solvent model of two-patch particles is extended to study the self-assembly of three- and four-patch particles to two-dimensional honeycomb and square lattices, respectively. Employing this model, grand canonical ensemble simulations are done to calculate vapor-liquid equilibria and the critical temperatures for patchy particles of various patch widths. The range of stability of the liquid, although very limited compared to isotropic particles, which interact through a longer-range potential, depends on the patch width and on the number of patches. Biased sampling and unbiased simulations are also done to investigate the mechanism of nucleation and crystal growth for honeycomb and square lattices, self-assembled from three- and four-patch particles, respectively. A two-step mechanism governs the nucleation of both lattices. In the first step, the particles form a dense amorphous network, and in the second step, the particles inside the amorphous network reorient to form crystalline nuclei. Barrier heights for the nucleation of honeycomb and square lattices are 7.8 kBT and 7.4 kBT, which are close to the reported values for the nucleation of the kagome lattice. In agreement with confocal microscopy experiments, the self-assembly in a honeycomb lattice involves the formation of 5- to 7-membered rings. The 5- and 7-membered rings hamper the nucleation of the honeycomb lattice, through defect formation and rotation of the symmetry planes of crystals that form at their surfaces. With the progress of self-assembly, a substantial amount of restructuring of the defects and crystals in their vicinity is needed to heal the defects.

Water uptake by gecko β-keratin and the influence of relative humidity on its mechanical and volumetric properties

Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulations are done to calculate the water content of gecko β-keratin as a function of relative humidity (RH). For comparison, we experimentally measured the water uptake of scales of the skin of cobra Naja nigricollis. The calculated sigmoidal sorption isotherm is in good agreement with experiment. To examine the softening effect of water on gecko keratin, we have calculated the mechanical properties of dry and wet keratin samples, and we have established relations between the mechanical properties and the RH. We found that a higher RH causes a decrease in the Young's modulus, the yield stress, the yield strain, the stress at failure and an increase in the strain at failure of the gecko keratin. At low RHs (less than 80%), the change in the mechanical properties is small, with most of the changes occurring at higher RHs. The changes in the macroscopic properties of the keratin are explained by the action of sorbed water on the molecular scale. It causes keratin to swell, thereby increasing the distances between amino acids. This has a weakening effect on amino acid interactions and softens the keratin material. The effect is more pronounced at higher RHs.

Self-Assembly of Model Triblock Janus Colloidal Particles in Two Dimensions

A simplified two-dimensional effective-solvent model of triblock Janus particles, consisting of three interaction sites in a linear configuration, a core particle, and two particles modeling the attractive patches at the poles, is developed to study the mechanism of nucleation and self-assembly in triblock Janus particles. The potential energy parameters are tuned against phase transition temperatures and free energy barriers to the nucleation of crystalline phases, calculated from our previous detailed model of Janus particles. Vapor-liquid equilibria and critical temperatures are calculated by grand-canonical molecular dynamics simulations for particles of different patch widths. With metadynamics, phase equilibria, mechanism of nucleation, and free energy barriers to nucleation are investigated. The minimum free energy path to nucleation indicates two steps. The first step, with a higher free energy increase, consists of the densification of the fluid into a disordered cluster. In the second step, of a lower free energy barrier, the inner particles of the disordered cluster reorient to form a crystalline nucleus. This two-step mechanism of nucleation of a kagome lattice is in complete agreement with the experiment and with our previous simulations using a detailed model of Janus particles. Large systems at a slight supersaturation generate multiple crystalline domains, which are misaligned at the grain boundaries. In complete agreement with the experiment and with previous simulation results, we observe a two-step mechanism for crystal growth: melting of the smaller (less stable) crystallites to a fluid followed by recrystallization at the surface of neighboring bigger (more stable) crystallites. A comparison of the present softer modeling of a Janus particle with harder models in the literature for self-assembly of Janus particles indicates that softer potentials stabilize open lattices (e.g., kagome) more than dense lattices (e.g., hexagonal). Also, experimental locations of phase transition points and barrier heights to nucleation are better reproduced by the present model than by the existing simple models.

Water Dissolved in a Variety of Polymers Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulation and a Theory of Solutions

The performance of a polymer medium as a separation membrane is determined by the dissolution free energy ΔG and diffusion coefficient D of the permeant. In this work, ΔG and D of water are investigated with all-atom molecular dynamics simulation in a wide variety of polymer species in the amorphous state. The computed ΔG is shown to agree well with the experimental value for linear homopolymers, and the degrees of polymerization of the homopolymers do not affect ΔG when they are beyond ∼10. The copolymers of ethylene-vinylidene difluoride, ethylene-vinyl acetate, and ethylene-acrylamide are then examined by changing the repeating patterns of the constituent monomers in both the periodic and graft forms. It is found that ΔG is determined primarily by the overall compositions of the monomers and is not affected by the copolymerization topology (periodic or graft). The hydrophobicity of the copolymer is enhanced, furthermore, when the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the ethylene and non-ethylene parts are well contrasted and those parts are fragmented along the polymer chain. According to the computed D, the diffusivity of water tends to be larger when the (co)polymer is more hydrophobic and ΔG is more positive. D is actually seen to vary by orders of magnitude with the polymer structures, while the effect of the polymer species on the water permeation is stronger for ΔG than for D.

How Alcoholic Disinfectants Affect Coronavirus Model Membranes: Membrane Fluidity, Permeability, and Disintegration

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out with a view to investigating the stability of the SARS-CoV-2 exterior membrane with respect to two common disinfectants, namely, aqueous solutions of ethanol and n-propanol. We used dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) as a model membrane material and did simulations on both gel and liquid crystalline phases of membrane surrounded by aqueous solutions of varying alcohol concentrations (up to 17.5 mol %). While a moderate effect of alcohol on the gel phase of membrane is observed, its liquid crystalline phase is shown to be influenced dramatically by either alcohol. Our results show that aqueous solutions of only 5 and 10 mol % alcohol already have significant weakening effects on the membrane. The effects of n-propanol are always stronger than those of ethanol. The membrane changes its structure, when exposed to disinfectant solutions; uptake of alcohol causes it to swell laterally but to shrink vertically. At the same time, the orientational order of lipid tails decreases significantly. Metadynamics and grand-canonical ensemble simulations were done to calculate the free-energy profiles for permeation of alcohol and alcohol/water solubility in the DPPC. We found that the free-energy barrier to permeation of the DPPC liquid crystalline phase by all permeants is significantly lowered by alcohol uptake. At a disinfectant concentration of 10 mol %, it becomes insignificant enough to allow almost free passage of the disinfectant to the inside of the virus to cause damage there. It should be noted that the disinfectant also causes the barrier for water permeation to drop. Furthermore, the shrinking of the membrane thickness shortens the gap needed to be crossed by penetrants from outside the virus into its core. The lateral swelling also increases the average distance between head groups, which is a secondary barrier to membrane penetration, and hence further increases the penetration by disinfectants. At alcohol concentrations in the disinfectant solution above 15 mol %, we reliably observe disintegration of the DPPC membrane in its liquid crystalline phase.

A blob model to parameterize polymer hole free volumes and solute diffusion

Solute diffusion in solid polymers has tremendous applications in packaging, reservoir, and biomedical technologies but remains poorly understood. Diffusion of non-entangled linear solutes with chemically identical patterns (blobs) deviates dramatically in polymers in the solid-state (α_lin > 1, Macromolecules 2013, 46, 874) from their behaviors in the molten state (α_lin = 1, Macromolecules, 2007, 40, 3970). This work uses the scale invariance of the diffusivities, D, of linear probes D(N·M_blob + M_anchor,T,T_g) = N^{-α_lin(T,T_g)}D(M_blob + M_anchor,T,T_g) comprising N identical blobs of mass M_blob and possibly one different terminal pattern (anchor of mass M_anchor) to evaluate the amounts of hole-free volume in seven polymers (aliphatic, semi-aromatic and aromatic) over a broad range of temperatures (-70 K ≤T-T_g≤ 160 K). The new parameterization of the concept of hole-free volumes opens the application of the free-volume theory (FVT) developed by Vrentas and Duda to practically any polymer, regardless of the availability of free-volume parameters. The quality of the estimations was tested with various probes including n-alkanes, 1-alcohols, n-alkyl acetates, and n-alkylbenzene. The effects of enthalpic and entropic effects of the blobs and the anchor were analyzed and quantified. Blind validation of the reformulated FVT was tested successfully by predicting from first principles the diffusivities of water and toluene in amorphous polyethylene terephthalate from 4 °C to 180 °C and in various other polymers. The new blob model would open the rational design of additives with controlled diffusivities in thermoplastics.

Molecular dynamics simulation of three plastic additives' diffusion in polyethylene terephthalate

Accurate diffusion coefficient data of additives in a polymer are of paramount importance for estimating the migration of the additives over time. This paper shows how this diffusion coefficient can be estimated for three plastic additives [2-(2'-hydroxy-5'-methylphenyl) (UV-P), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)] in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. MD simulations were performed at temperatures of 293-433 K. The diffusion coefficient was calculated through the Einstein relationship connecting the data of mean-square displacement at different times. Comparison of the diffusion coefficients simulated by the MD simulation technique, predicted by the Piringer model and experiments, showed that, except for a few samples, the MD-simulated values were in agreement with the experimental values within one order of magnitude. Furthermore, the diffusion process for additives is discussed in detail, and four factors - the interaction energy between additive molecules and PET, fractional free volume, molecular shape and size, and self-diffusion of the polymer - are proposed to illustrate the microscopic diffusion mechanism. The movement trajectories of additives in PET cell models suggested that the additive molecules oscillate slowly rather than hopping for a long time. Occasionally, when a sufficiently large hole was created adjacently, the molecule could undergo spatial motion by jumping into the free-volume hole and consequently start a continuous oscillation and hop. The results indicate that MD simulation is a useful approach for predicting the microstructure and diffusion coefficient of plastic additives, and help to estimate the migration level of additives from PET packaging.

Solubility of Carbon Dioxide in Pentaerythritol Hexanoate: Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Refrigerant-Lubricant Oil System

We have investigated the solubility and the solvation structure between a refrigerant (carbon dioxide, CO2) and a lubricant oil (pentaerythritol hexanoate, PEC6) by molecular dynamics simulations. First, to investigate the solubility, we calculated the vapor-liquid equilibrium pressure. The chemical potential of the liquid phase and the gas phase were calculated, and the equilibrium state was obtained from the crossing point of these chemical potentials. The equilibrium pressures agreed well with experimental data over a wide range of temperatures and mole fractions of CO2. Second, the solvation structure was also investigated on a molecular scale. We found the following characteristics. First, the tails of the lubricant oil are relatively rigid inside the ester groups but flexible beyond. Second, CO2 molecules barely enter the lubricant core as delimited by the ester groups. Third, the double-bonded oxygen atoms of the ester groups are good sorption sites for CO2. Fourth, only a few CO2 molecules are attached to more than one carbonyl oxygen simultaneously. Finally, there is also significant unspecific sorption of CO2 in the alkane tail region. These results indicate that increasing the size of the rigid lubricant core would probably decrease the solubility, whereas increasing the number of polar groups would increase it.

Sorption and diffusion of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to determine the solubility and diffusion coefficient of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The solubilities of CO2 in the polymer are calculated employing our grand canonical ensemble simulation method, fixing the target excess chemical potential of CO2 in the polymer and varying the number of CO2 molecules in the polymer matrix till establishing equilibrium. It is shown that the calculated sorption isotherms of CO2 in PMMA, employing this method well agrees with experiment. Our results on the diffusion coefficients of CO2 and N2 in PMMA are shown to obey a common hopping mechanism. It is shown that the higher solubility of CO2 than that of N2 is a consequence of more attractive interactions between the carbonyl group of polymer and the sorbent. While the residence time of CO2 beside the carbonyl group of polymer is about three times higher than that of N2, the diffusion coefficient of CO2 in PMMA is higher than that of N2. The higher diffusion coefficient of CO2, compared to N2, in PMMA is shown to be due to the higher (≈3 times) swelling of polymer upon CO2 uptake.

Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation of water solubility in polyamide-6,6

Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation is employed to calculate the solubility of water in polyamide-6,6. It is shown that performing two separate simulations, one in the polymeric phase and one in the gaseous phase, is sufficient to find the phase coexistence point. In this method, the chemical potential of water in the polymer phase is expanded as a first-order Taylor series in terms of pressure. Knowing the chemical potential of water in the polymer phase in terms of pressure, another simulation for water in the gaseous phase, in the grand canonical ensemble, is done in which the target chemical potential is set in terms of pressure in the gas phase. The phase coexistence point can easily be calculated from the results of these two independent simulations. Our calculated sorption isotherms and solubility coefficients of water in polyamide-6,6, over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, agree with experimental data.