Eckhard Spohr

Effect of electrostatic boundary conditions and system size on the interfacial properties of water and aqueous solutions

The consequences of the choice of electrostatic boundary conditions on the interfacial properties of water and on the free energy of ion adsorption from aqueous solution have been investigated. The Ewald summation method for lattices, which are periodic in two dimensions, is considered to be the most adequate method in slabs of finite thickness in one dimension. In agreement with the physics of the problem a field-free region in the bulk phases is observed. The use of spherical truncation methods like the shifted-force method leads to unphysical results. The electrostatic potential depends on the size of the system. Ewald summation methods for three-dimensional lattices lead to results in qualitative agreement with the corresponding two-dimensional lattice sum. The computed value of the electrostatic potential depends on an additional parameter, namely the lattice constant c in the direction perpendicular to the interface. The results for Ewald summation in three dimensions converge to the results for Ewa...

Glass transition and layering effects in confined water: A computer simulation study

Single particle dynamics of water confined in a nanopore is studied through computer molecular dynamics. The pore is modeled to represent the average properties of a pore of Vycor glass. Dynamics is analyzed at different hydration levels and upon supercooling. At all hydration levels and all temperatures investigated a layering effect is observed due to the strong hydrophilicity of the substrate. The time density correlators show, already at ambient temperature, strong deviations from the Debye and the stretched exponential behavior. Both on decreasing hydration level and upon supercooling we find features that can be related to the cage effect typical of a supercooled liquid undergoing a kinetic glass transition. Nonetheless the behavior predicted by mode coupling theory can be observed only by carrying out a proper shell analysis of the density correlators. Water molecules within the first two layers from the substrate are in a glassy state already at ambient temperature (bound water). The remaining sub...

Supercooled confined water and the mode coupling crossover temperature

We present a molecular dynamics study of the single-particle dynamics of supercooled water confined in a silica pore. Two dynamical regimes are found. Close to the hydrophilic substrate molecules are below the mode coupling crossover temperature, T(C), already at ambient temperature. The water closer to the center of the pore (free water) approaches upon supercooling T(C) as predicted by mode coupling theories. For free water the crossover temperature and crossover exponent gamma are extracted from power-law fits to both the diffusion coefficient and the relaxation time of the late alpha region.

Molecular simulation of the electrochemical double layer

Abstract Direct computer simulations of the electrochemical double layer between an aqueous electrolyte solution and a metal surface have recently become possible, although currently only at high electrolyte concentrations. In the present study molecular dynamics simulations of the structure of a 2.2 molal aqueous NaCl solution in the vicinity of an idealized metal surface are reported. Uncharged as well as positively and negatively charged metal surfaces are investigated.

Molecular dynamics simulation of a water/metal interface

First results of a molecular dynamics study of a water/metal interface, lasting 3.3 ps at an average temperature of 294 K, are reported. The basic periodic box contains 216 water molecules and a crystal slab of 550 platinum atoms with (100) surface planes. A combination of a Lennard-Jones potential between centers of mass and Coulomb potential arising from dielectric interactions of the water charge distribution with the metal is employed for the water-wall interaction, the ST2 model for the water-water, and nearest-neighbour harmonic potential for the platinum-platinum interactions. Considerable adsorption at the interface together with a drastic change of the water structure is observed.

Modifications of the hydrogen bond network of liquid water in a cylindrical SiO2 pore

Abstract We present results of molecular dynamics simulations of water confined in a silica pore. A cylindrical cavity is created inside a vitreous silica cell with geometry and size similar to the pores of real Vycor glass. The simulations are performed at different hydration levels. At all hydration levels water adsorbs strongly on the Vycor surface; a double layer structure is evident at higher hydrations. At almost full hydration the modifications of the confinement-induced site-site pair distribution functions are in qualitative agreement with neutron diffraction experiment. A decrease in the number of hydrogen bonds between water molecules is observed along the pore radius, due to the tendency of the molecules close to the substrate to form hydrogen-bonds with the hydrophilic pore surface. As a consequence we observe a substrate induced distortion of the H-bond tetrahedral network of water molecules in the regions close to the surface.

Solubility of KF in water by molecular dynamics using the Kirkwood integration method

We have studied the solubility of potassium fluoride in aqueous solution at near ambient condition, using a simple modeling for the ion and water interactions and computing the values of the chemical potential by molecular dynamics within the framework of Kirkwood generalized thermodynamic integration approach for the evaluation of free energy differences. We report the details of the procedure we used, which is based—at variance with previous attempts—on the individual determination of the chemical potential for the ions in solution. We explore a wide range of salt concentrations up to more than 25 M and determine the solubility. The agreement with the experimental value is reasonable, taking account of the rather crude model used.

Comparison of charged sheets and corrected 3D Ewald calculations of long-range forces in slab geometry electrolyte systems with solvent molecules

Two methods of calculating long-range intermolecular potentials are compared for an approximately 3 M aqueous electrolyte solution confined between two charged surfaces. We investigate the ionic density profiles using the charged-sheets method and the corrected three-dimensional (3D) Ewald method at two different system sizes and also compare the Coulomb forces directly. The corrected 3D Ewald method is recommended for the calculation of long-range potentials in systems of this nature because it is less system size dependent than the charged-sheets method and the resultant forces are more consistent with periodic boundaries. However, the charged-sheets method for estimating long-range potentials in Coulombic systems may be useful for certain applications, and the corrected 3D Ewald method also shows some system size dependence.

Proton-Conducting Polymer Electrolyte Membranes: Water and Structure in Charge

This article reviews the structure and properties of aqueous-based proton-conducting membranes for fuel cell applications. We will discuss (1) structure of and phase separation in the membranes, (2) principles of proton mobility in hydrogen-bonded aqueous networks, (3) proton conductance through the percolating aqueous phase inside the membrane, and (4) the effects determining membrane performance in a fuel cell.

Water in porous glasses. A computer simulation study

We report molecular dynamics simulations of water confined in a cylindrical silica pore. The pore geometry and size is similar to that of typical pores in porous Vycor glass. In the present study we focus on the dependence of microscopical structural and dynamical properties on the degree of hydration of the pore. We have performed five simulations of systems between 19 and 96 % hydration. In all cases, water adsorbs strongly on the pore surface, clearly demonstrating the hydrophilic nature of the Vycor surface. Two layers of water molecules are affected strongly by the interactions with the glass surface. With decreasing degree of hydration an increasing volume in the center of the pore is devoid of water molecules. At 96 % hydration the center is a continuous and homogeneous region that has, however, a lower density than bulk water at ambient conditions. A well-pronounced mobility profile exists, where molecules in the center of the pores have substantially higher self diffusion coefficients than molecules on the pore surface. The spectral densities of center of mass and hydrogen atom motion show the signature of confinement for the molecules close to the pore surface, while the spectral densities in the center of the pore are similar to those in bulk water. The molecular dynamics results are in good agreement with recent experiments. Our data indicate that the dependence of experimental data on the level of hydration of the Vycor sample is due to the different relative contribution of molecules adsorbed on the pore surface and bulk-like molecules in the interior of the pore to the experimental averages.