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Tanaka Y, Sato H, Nakano H. Computational dielectric spectroscopy on solid-solution interface by time-dependent voltage applied molecular dynamics simulation. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:144103. [PMID: 38591671 DOI: 10.1063/5.0189977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
A frequency-dependent dielectric constant characterizes the dielectric response of a medium and also represents the time scale of system's collective dynamics. Although it is valuable not only academically but also practically for developing advanced devices, getting the value of a solution at the interface with a solid or electrode surface is challenging both experimentally and computationally. Here, we propose a computational method that imitates the dielectric spectroscopy and AC impedance measurement. It combines a time-dependent voltage applied molecular dynamics simulation with an equivalent circuit representation of a system composed of a solution confined between two identical electrodes. It gives the frequency-dependent dielectric constants of the bulk solution and the interface simultaneously. Unlike the conventional method, it does not require computation of a dipole autocorrelation function and its Fourier transformation. Application of the method on a system of water confined between polarizable Pt electrodes gives the static dielectric constant and the relaxation time of the bulk water in good agreement with previous simulation results and experimental values. In addition, it gives a much smaller static dielectric constant at the interface, consistent with previous observations. The outline of the dielectric dispersion curve of the interface seems similar to that of the bulk, but the relaxation time is several times faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichi Tanaka
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Sato
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
- Fukui Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto University, Takano Nishihiraki-cho 34-4, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8103, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nakano
- CD-FMat, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba Central 2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
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Takahashi K, Nakano H, Sato H. Accelerated constant-voltage quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method for molecular systems at electrochemical interfaces. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:234107. [PMID: 36550044 DOI: 10.1063/5.0128358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure and electronic properties of a molecule at an electrochemical interface are changed by interactions with the electrode surface and the electrolyte solution, which can be significantly modulated by an applied voltage. We present an efficient self-consistent quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach to study a physisorbed molecule at a metal electrode-electrolyte interface under the constant-voltage condition. The approach employs a classical polarizable double electrode model, which enables us to study the QM/MM system in the constant-voltage ensemble. A mean-field embedding approximation is further introduced in order to overcome the difficulties associated with statistical sampling of the electrolyte configurations. The results of applying the method to a test system indicate that the adsorbed molecule is no less or slightly more polarized at the interface than in the bulk electrolyte solution. The geometry of the horizontally adsorbed molecule is modulated by their electrostatic interactions with the polarizable electrode surfaces and also the interactions with cations attracted toward the interface when the adsorbate is reduced. We also demonstrate that the approach can be used to quantitatively evaluate the reorganization energy of a one electron reduction reaction of a molecule in an electrochemical cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Takahashi
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto Daigaku Katsura, Kyoto 615-8246, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nakano
- CD-FMat, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba Central 2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Sato
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto Daigaku Katsura, Kyoto 615-8246, Japan
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Takahashi K, Nakano H, Sato H. Unified polarizable electrode models for open and closed circuits: Revisiting the effects of electrode polarization and different circuit conditions on electrode-electrolyte interfaces. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:014111. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0093095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A precise understanding of the interfacial structure and dynamics is essential for the optimal design of various electrochemical devices. Herein, we propose a method for classical molecular dynamics simulations to deal with electrochemical interfaces with polarizable electrodes under the open circuit condition. Less attention has been paid to electrochemical circuit conditions in computation despite being often essential for a proper assessment, especially comparison between different models. The present method is based on the chemical potential equalization principle, as is a method developed previously to deal with systems under the closed circuit condition. These two methods can be interconverted through the Legendre transformation, so that the difference in the circuit conditions can be compared on the same footing. Furthermore, the electrode polarization effect can be correctly studied by comparing the present method with the conventional simulations with the electrodes represented by fixed charges, since both of the methods describe systems under the open circuit condition. The method is applied to a parallel-plate capacitor composed of platinum electrodes and an aqueous electrolyte solution. The electrode polarization effects have an impact on the interfacial structure of the electrolyte solution. We found that the difference in the circuit conditions significantly affects the dynamics of the electrolyte solution. The electric field at the charged electrode surface is poorly screened by the nonequilibrium solution structure in the open circuit condition, which accelerates the motion of the electrolyte solution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hirofumi Sato
- Department of Molecular Engineering, Kyoto University - Katsura Campus, Japan
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Bruch D, Balzer C, Wang ZG. Thermodynamics of Electrolyte Solutions Near Charged Surfaces: Constant Surface Charge vs. Constant Surface Potential. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:174704. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0089260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Electric double layers are ubiquitous in science and engineering and are of current interest, owing to their applications in the stabilization of colloidal suspensions and as supercapacitors. While the structure and properties of electric double layers in electrolyte solutions near a charged surface are well characterized, there are subtleties in calculating thermodynamic properties from the free energy of a system with charged surfaces. These subtleties arise from the difference in the free energy between systems with constant surface charge and constant surface potential. In this work, we present a systematic, pedagogical framework to properly account for the different specifications on charged bodies in electrolyte solutions. Our approach is fully variational---that is, all free energies, boundary conditions, relevant electrostatic equations, and thermodynamic quantities are systematically derived using variational principles of thermodynamics. We illustrate our approach by considering a simple electrolyte solution between two charged surfaces using the Poisson--Boltzmann theory. Our results highlight the importance of using the proper thermodynamic potential and provide a general framework for calculating thermodynamic properties of electrolyte solutions near charged surfaces. Specifically, we present the calculation of the pressure and the surface tension between two charged surfaces for different boundary conditions, including mixed boundary conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorian Bruch
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, United States of America
| | | | - Zhen-Gang Wang
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, United States of America
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Jeanmairet G, Rotenberg B, Salanne M. Microscopic Simulations of Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors. Chem Rev 2022; 122:10860-10898. [PMID: 35389636 PMCID: PMC9227719 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
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Electrochemical double-layer
capacitors (EDLCs) are devices allowing
the storage or production of electricity. They function through the
adsorption of ions from an electrolyte on high-surface-area electrodes
and are characterized by short charging/discharging times and long
cycle-life compared to batteries. Microscopic simulations are now
widely used to characterize the structural, dynamical, and adsorption
properties of these devices, complementing electrochemical experiments
and in situ spectroscopic analyses. In this review,
we discuss the main families of simulation methods that have been
developed and their application to the main family of EDLCs, which
include nanoporous carbon electrodes. We focus on the adsorption of
organic ions for electricity storage applications as well as aqueous
systems in the context of blue energy harvesting and desalination.
We finally provide perspectives for further improvement of the predictive
power of simulations, in particular for future devices with complex
electrode compositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Jeanmairet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Électrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France.,Réseau sur le Stockage Electrochimique de l'Energie (RS2E), FR CNRS 3459, 80039 Amiens, France
| | - Benjamin Rotenberg
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Electrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France.,Réseau sur le Stockage Électrochimique de l'Énergie (RS2E), FR CNRS 3459, 80039 Amiens, France
| | - Mathieu Salanne
- Réseau sur le Stockage Electrochimique de l'Energie (RS2E), FR CNRS 3459, 80039 Amiens, France.,Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Electrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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Microscopic origin of the effect of substrate metallicity on interfacial free energies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2108769118. [PMID: 34876519 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108769118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate the effect of the metallic character of solid substrates on solid-liquid interfacial thermodynamics using molecular simulations. Building on the recent development of a semiclassical Thomas-Fermi model to tune the metallicity in classical molecular dynamics simulations, we introduce a thermodynamic integration framework to compute the evolution of the interfacial free energy as a function of the Thomas-Fermi screening length. We validate this approach against analytical results for empty capacitors and by comparing the predictions in the presence of an electrolyte with values determined from the contact angle of droplets on the surface. The general expression derived in this work highlights the role of the charge distribution within the metal. We further propose a simple model to interpret the evolution of the interfacial free energy with voltage and Thomas-Fermi length, which allows us to identify the charge correlations within the metal as the microscopic origin of the evolution of the interfacial free energy with the metallic character of the substrate. This methodology opens the door to the molecular-scale study of the effect of the metallic character of the substrate on confinement-induced transitions in ionic systems, as reported in recent atomic force microscopy and surface force apparatus experiments.
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Serva A, Scalfi L, Rotenberg B, Salanne M. Effect of the metallicity on the capacitance of gold-aqueous sodium chloride interfaces. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:044703. [PMID: 34340400 DOI: 10.1063/5.0060316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrochemistry experiments have established that the capacitance of electrode-electrolyte interfaces is much larger for good metals, such as gold and platinum, than for carbon-based materials. Despite the development of elaborate electrode interaction potentials, to date molecular dynamics simulations are not able to capture this effect. Here, we show that changing the width of the Gaussian charge distribution used to represent the atomic charges in gold is an effective way to tune its metallicity. Larger Gaussian widths lead to a capacitance of aqueous solutions (pure water and 1 M NaCl) in good agreement with recent ab initio molecular dynamics results. For pure water, the increase in the capacitance is not accompanied by structural changes, while in the presence of salt, the Na+ cations tend to adsorb significantly on the surface. For a strongly metallic gold electrode, these ions can even form inner sphere complexes on hollow sites of the surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Serva
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Électrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Laura Scalfi
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Électrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Rotenberg
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Électrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Salanne
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Physico-chimie des Électrolytes et Nanosystèmes Interfaciaux, PHENIX, F-75005 Paris, France
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