Luís Fernando Mercier Franco

Anisotropic parallel self-diffusion coefficients near the calcite surface: A molecular dynamics study

Applying classical molecular dynamics simulations, we calculate the parallel self-diffusion coefficients of different fluids (methane, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide) confined between two {101̄4} calcite crystal planes. We have observed that the molecules close to the calcite surface diffuse differently in distinct directions. This anisotropic behavior of the self-diffusion coefficient is investigated for different temperatures and pore sizes. The ion arrangement in the calcite crystal and the strong interactions between the fluid particles and the calcite surface may explain the anisotropy in this transport property.

On the relationship between the solubility of proteins and the osmotic second virial coefficient

A relationship between the osmotic second virial coefficient of proteins in aqueous salt solutions, the solubility of proteins in these solutions and the salt concentration is presented. The model developed considers that the solid-liquid equilibrium is established with neutral protein molecules and that the relationship between the protein solubility and the salt concentration follows Cohns equation. The validity of the model is restricted to the salting-out region of the phase diagrams, which is the situation of greater practical importance. The resulting equations were successfully applied to systems containing lysozyme and ovalbumin.

Statistical Mechanical Model for Adsorption Coupled with SAFT-VR Mie Equation of State

We extend the SAFT-VR Mie equation of state to calculate adsorption isotherms by considering explicitly the residual energy due to the confinement effect. Assuming a square-well potential for the fluid-solid interactions, the structure imposed by the fluid-solid interface is calculated using two different approaches: an empirical expression proposed by Travalloni et al. ( Chem. Eng. Sci. 65 , 3088 - 3099 , 2010 ), and a new theoretical expression derived by applying the mean value theorem. Adopting the SAFT-VR Mie ( Lafitte et al. J. Chem. Phys. , 139 , 154504 , 2013 ) equation of state to describe the fluid-fluid interactions, and solving the phase equilibrium criteria, we calculate adsorption isotherms for light hydrocarbons adsorbed in a carbon molecular sieve and for carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water adsorbed in a zeolite. Good results are obtained from the model using either approach. Nonetheless, the theoretical expression seems to correlate better the experimental data than the empirical one, possibly implying that a more reliable way to describe the structure ensures a better description of the thermodynamic behavior.

Two-body perturbation theory versus first order perturbation theory: A comparison based on the square-well fluid

We show that the Zwanzig first-order perturbation theory can be obtained directly from a truncated Taylor series expansion of a two-body perturbation theory and that such truncation provides a more accurate prediction of thermodynamic properties than the full two-body perturbation theory. This unexpected result is explained by the quality of the resulting approximation for the fluid radial distribution function. We prove that the first-order and the two-body perturbation theories are based on different approximations for the fluid radial distribution function. To illustrate the calculations, the square-well fluid is adopted. We develop an analytical expression for the two-body perturbed Helmholtz free energy for the square-well fluid. The equation of state obtained using such an expression is compared to the equation of state obtained from the first-order approximation. The vapor-liquid coexistence curve and the supercritical compressibility factor of a square-well fluid are calculated using both equations of state and compared to Monte Carlo simulation data. Finally, we show that the approximation for the fluid radial distribution function given by the first-order perturbation theory provides closer values to the ones calculated via Monte Carlo simulations. This explains why such theory gives a better description of the fluid thermodynamic behavior.