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An R, Wu N, Gao Q, Dong Y, Laaksonen A, Shah FU, Ji X, Fuchs H. Integrative studies of ionic liquid interface layers: bridging experiments, theoretical models and simulations. NANOSCALE HORIZONS 2024; 9:506-535. [PMID: 38356335 DOI: 10.1039/d4nh00007b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of salts existing in the liquid state below 100 °C, possessing low volatility, high thermal stability as well as many highly attractive solvent and electrochemical capabilities, etc., making them highly tunable for a great variety of applications, such as lubricants, electrolytes, and soft functional materials. In many applications, ILs are first either physi- or chemisorbed on a solid surface to successively create more functional materials. The functions of ILs at solid surfaces can differ considerably from those of bulk ILs, mainly due to distinct interfacial layers with tunable structures resulting in new ionic liquid interface layer properties and enhanced performance. Due to an almost infinite number of possible combinations among the cations and anions to form ILs, the diversity of various solid surfaces, as well as different external conditions and stimuli, a detailed molecular-level understanding of their structure-property relationship is of utmost significance for a judicious design of IL-solid interfaces with appropriate properties for task-specific applications. Many experimental techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, surface force apparatus, and so on, have been used for studying the ion structuring of the IL interface layer. Molecular Dynamics simulations have been widely used to investigate the microscopic behavior of the IL interface layer. To interpret and clarify the IL structure and dynamics as well as to predict their properties, it is always beneficial to combine both experiments and simulations as close as possible. In another theoretical model development to bridge the structure and properties of the IL interface layer with performance, thermodynamic prediction & property modeling has been demonstrated as an effective tool to add the properties and function of the studied nanomaterials. Herein, we present recent findings from applying the multiscale triangle "experiment-simulation-thermodynamic modeling" in the studies of ion structuring of ILs in the vicinity of solid surfaces, as well as how it qualitatively and quantitatively correlates to the overall ILs properties, performance, and function. We introduce the most common techniques behind "experiment-simulation-thermodynamic modeling" and how they are applied for studying the IL interface layer structuring, and we highlight the possibilities of the IL interface layer structuring in applications such as lubrication and energy storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong An
- Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
| | - Nanhua Wu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Qingwei Gao
- College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Protection and Advanced Materials in Electric Power, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Yihui Dong
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Aatto Laaksonen
- Energy Engineering, Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden.
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, ''Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700469, Romania
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Faiz Ullah Shah
- Chemistry of Interfaces, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden
| | - Xiaoyan Ji
- Energy Engineering, Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden.
| | - Harald Fuchs
- Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
- Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Jervell VG, Wilhelmsen Ø. Revised Enskog theory for Mie fluids: Prediction of diffusion coefficients, thermal diffusion coefficients, viscosities, and thermal conductivities. J Chem Phys 2023; 158:2895227. [PMID: 37290070 DOI: 10.1063/5.0149865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the 1920s, the Enskog solutions to the Boltzmann equation have provided a route to predicting the transport properties of dilute gas mixtures. At higher densities, predictions have been limited to gases of hard spheres. In this work, we present a revised Enskog theory for multicomponent mixtures of Mie fluids, where the Barker-Henderson perturbation theory is used to calculate the radial distribution function at contact. With parameters of the Mie-potentials regressed to equilibrium properties, the theory is fully predictive for transport properties. The presented framework offers a link between the Mie potential and transport properties at elevated densities, giving accurate predictions for real fluids. For mixtures of noble gases, diffusion coefficients from experiments are reproduced within ±4%. For hydrogen, the predicted self-diffusion coefficient is within 10% of experimental data up to 200 MPa and at temperatures above 171 K. Binary diffusion coefficients of the CO2/CH4 mixture from simulations are reproduced within 20% at pressures up to 14.7 MPa. Except for xenon in the vicinity of the critical point, the thermal conductivity of noble gases and their mixtures is reproduced within 10% of the experimental data. For other molecules than noble gases, the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity is under-predicted, while the density dependence appears to be correctly predicted. Predictions of the viscosity are within ±10% of the experimental data for methane, nitrogen, and argon up to 300 bar, for temperatures ranging from 233 to 523 K. At pressures up to 500 bar and temperatures from 200 to 800 K, the predictions are within ±15% of the most accurate correlation for the viscosity of air. Comparing the theory to an extensive set of measurements of thermal diffusion ratios, we find that 49% of the model predictions are within ±20% of the reported measurements. The predicted thermal diffusion factor differs by less than 15% from the simulation results of Lennard-Jones mixtures, even at densities well exceeding the critical density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vegard G Jervell
- Porelab, Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Øivind Wilhelmsen
- Porelab, Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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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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Rehner P, Bauer G, Gross J. FeO s: An Open-Source Framework for Equations of State and Classical Density Functional Theory. Ind Eng Chem Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c04561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Rehner
- Energy and Process Systems Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, Zurich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Gernot Bauer
- Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Process Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 9, Stuttgart 70569, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Process Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 9, Stuttgart 70569, Germany
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