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ABSTRACT: This paper reports on a molecular simulation study of the thermodynamics, structure and dynamics of water confined at ambient temperature in hydroxylated silica nanopores of a width H = 10 and 20 Å. The adsorption isotherms for water in these nanopores resemble those observed for experimental samples; the adsorbed amount increases continuously in the multilayer adsorption regime until a jump occurs due to capillary condensation of the fluid within the pore. Strong layering of water in the vicinity of the silica surfaces is observed as marked density oscillations are observed up to 8 Å from the surface in the density profiles for confined water. Our results indicate that water molecules within the first adsorbed layer tend to adopt a H-down orientation with respect to the silica substrate. For all pore sizes and adsorbed amounts, the self-diffusivity of confined water is lower than the bulk, due to the hydrophilic interaction between the water molecules and the hydroxylated silica surface. Our results also suggest that the self-diffusivity of confined water is sensitive to the adsorbed amount.
Journal of Physics Condensed Matter 07/2010; 22(28):284110. · 2.55 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This article reports on a molecular simulation study of nitrogen adsorption and condensation at 77 K in atomistic silica cylindrical nanopores (MCM-41). Two models are considered for the nitrogen molecule and its interaction with the silica substrate. In the "pea" model, the nitrogen molecule is described as a single Lennard-Jones sphere and only Lennard-Jones interactions between the nitrogen molecule and the oxygens atoms of the silica substrate are taken into account. In the "bean" model (TraPPE force field), the nitrogen molecule is composed of two Lennard-Jones sites and a linear array of three charges on the atomic positions and at the center of the nitrogen-nitrogen bond. In the bean model, the interactions between the sites on the nitrogen molecule and the Si, O, and H atoms of the substrate are the sum of the Coulombic and dispersion interactions with a repulsive short-range contribution. The data obtained with the pea and bean models in silica nanopores conform to the typical behavior observed in the experiments for adsorption/condensation in cylindrical MCM-41 nanopores; the adsorbed amount increases continuously in the multilayer adsorption regime until an irreversible jump occurs because of capillary condensation and evaporation of the fluid within the pore. Our results suggest that the pea model can be used for characterization purposes where one is interested in capturing the global experimental behavior upon adsorption and desorption in silica nanopores. However, the bean model is more suitable to investigating the details of the interaction with the surface because this model, which accounts for the partial charges located on the nitrogen atoms of the molecule (quadrupole), allows a description of the specific interactions between this adsorbate and silica surfaces (silanol groups and siloxane bridges) or grafted silica surfaces. In particular, the bean model provides a more realistic picture of nitrogen adsorption in the vicinity of silica surfaces or confined in silica nanopores, where the isosteric heat of adsorption curves show that the nitrogen molecule in this model is sensitive to the surface heterogeneity.
Langmuir 05/2010; 26(13):10872-81. · 4.19 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We have analyzed the mechanism of melting of molecular layers adsorbed in porous materials with cylindrical pores and rough pore walls. The working example studied here is a monolayer of methane molecules adsorbed in MCM-41 pore of diameter 2R=4 nm. Both experimental (neutron scattering) and simulation (Monte Carlo) results demonstrate the strong influence of the wall roughness on the melting mechanism. In particular, the transformation between solidlike and liquidlike monolayer phases adsorbed on a rough surface is observed over a broad temperature range, and solidlike properties persist even above the bulk methane melting temperature.
The Journal of Chemical Physics 06/2008; 128(18):184703. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Molecular simulations are used to investigate the
adsorption and dynamics of argon in ordered and disordered models of porous
carbons. The pore shape and pore connectivity are found to affect
significantly the properties of the confined fluid.
The European Physical Journal Special Topics 01/2007; 141(1):121-125. · 1.56 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Freezing of a simple fluid in a disordered nanoporous carbon is studied using molecular simulations. Only partial crystallization occurs, and the confined phase is composed of crystalline and amorphous nanodomains. This freezing behavior departs strongly from that for nanopores of simple geometry. We present a method for analyzing the freezing in such disordered materials in terms of a transition in the average size and number of crystalline clusters. The results provide a basis for the interpretation of experiments on freezing in such materials, particularly 1H-NMR and scattering experiments.
Physical Review Letters 10/2006; 97(10):105702. · 7.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We present a review of experimental, theoretical, and molecular simulation studies of confinement effects on freezing and melting. We consider both simple and more complex adsorbates that are confined in various environments (slit or cylindrical pores and also disordered porous materials). The most commonly used molecular simulation, theoretical and experimental methods are first presented. We also provide a brief description of the most widely used porous materials. The current state of knowledge on the effects of confinement on structure and freezing temperature, and the appearance of new surface-driven and confinement-driven phases are then discussed. We also address how confinement affects the glass transition.
Journal of Physics Condensed Matter 02/2006; 18(6):R15-68. · 2.55 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The paper reports on a qualitative comparison between experimental measurements and molecular simulations of the freezing and melting of azeotropic mixtures confined in nanoporous materials. Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy was used to determine the experimental solid/liquid phase diagram of CCl4/C6H12 mixtures confined in activated carbon fibres. Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations combined with the parallel tempering technique were used to model the freezing of the azeotropic Lennard–Jones mixture Ar/CH4 in a graphite slit pore. The structure of the crystal phase in the simulations is investigated by means of positional and bond-orientational pair correlation functions and appropriate bond-order parameters. Both simulations and experiments show that the phase diagram of the confined mixture is of the same type as that for the bulk, but the solid/liquid coexistence lines are located at higher temperatures. The effect of confinement and of the wall/fluid interaction on the location of the azeotrope is discussed.
Molecular Physics. 11/2005; 103(21-23):3103-3113.
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ABSTRACT: We study by means of Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations the condensation and evaporation of argon at 77 K in nanoporous silica media of different morphology or topology. For each porous material, our results are compared with data obtained for regular cylindrical pores. We show that both the filling and emptying mechanisms are significantly affected by the presence of a constriction. The simulation data for a constricted pore closed at one end reproduces the asymmetrical shape of the hysteresis loop that is observed for many real disordered porous materials. The adsorption process is a quasicontinuous mechanism that corresponds to the filling of the different parts of the porous material, cavity, and constriction. In contrast, the desorption branch for this pore closed at one end is brutal because the evaporation of Ar atoms confined in the largest cavity is triggered by the evaporation of the fluid confined in the constriction (which isolates the cavity from the gas reservoir). This evaporation process conforms to the classical picture of "pore blocking effect" proposed by Everett many years ago. We also simulate Ar adsorption in a disordered porous medium, which mimics a Vycor mesoporous silica glass. The adsorption isotherm for this disordered porous material having both topological and morphological defects presents the same features as that for the constricted pore (quasicontinuous adsorption and steep desorption process). However, the larger degree of disorder of the Vycor surface enhances these main characteristics. Finally, we show that the effect of the disorder, topological and/or morphological, leads to a significant lowering of the capillary condensation pressure compared to that for regular cylindrical nanopores. Also, our results suggest that confined fluids isolated from the bulk reservoir evaporate at a pressure driven by the smallest size of the pore.
The Journal of Chemical Physics 09/2004; 121(8):3767-74. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Argon adsorption (77 K) in atomistic silica nanopores of various sizes and shapes has been studied by means of grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations (GCMC). We discuss the effects of confinement (pore size), pore morphology (ellipsoidal, hexagonal, constricted pore), and surface texture (rough/smooth) on the thickness variation of the adsorbed film with pressure onto the disordered inner surface of porous materials (usually called t-plot or t-curve). We show that no confinement effect occurs when the diameter of the regular cylindrical pore is larger than 10 nm. For pores smaller than 6 nm, we find that the film thickness increases as the pore size decreases. We show that the adsorption isotherm in the rough pore can be described as the sum of an adsorbed amount similar to that found for a smooth pore (of the same radius) and a constant contribution due to atoms "trapped" in the infractuosities of the rough surface which act as a microporous texture. Simulation snapshots for Ar adsorption in hexagonal and ellipsoidal smooth pores indicate that at low pressures the gas/adsorbate interface retains memory of the pore shape and becomes cylindrical prior to the capillary condensation of the fluid in the pore. The film thickness in the hexagonal pore is close to that obtained for a cylindrical pore having a similar dimension. By contrast, we find that the film thickness for an ellipsoidal pore is always larger than that for an equivalent cylindrical pore (having the same length and volume but a circular section). We show that this effect strengthens as the pore size decreases and/or the pore asymmetry increases. Ar adsorption in a cylindrical constricted pore shows that the presence of the narrower part considerably modifies the adsorption mechanism. Finally, we report GCMC simulations of Ar adsorption (77 K) on a plane silica reference substrate for different intermolecular potentials. We discuss the effect of the interaction on the shape of the adsorption isotherm and compare our results with experiments.
The Journal of Chemical Physics 03/2004; 120(6):2913-22. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We study, by means of Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations, the effect of disorder in pore morphology and topology on adsorption of simple fluids at 77 K. We consider the case of microporous carbons and mesoporous silicas. For both systems, we found that morphological and topological disorder affects the adsorption isotherm. Consequently, we show that complex porous networks cannot be modeled as a collection of unconnected pores of simple geometry. In the case of microporous carbons, the isosteric heat of adsorption for disordered systems differs significantly from that obtained for an assembly of unconnected slit pores. In contrast, the isosteric heat of adsorption for the disordered mesoporous silica sample compares reasonably well with that observed for a silica material having regular cylindrical pores.
MRS Proceedings. 12/2002; 790.
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ABSTRACT: We report on an experimental study of adsorption isotherm of nitrogen onto porous silicon with noninterconnected pores open at one or at both ends in order to check for the first time the old (1938) but always current idea based on Cohan's description which suggests that the adsorption of gas should occur reversibly in the first case and irreversibly in the second one. Hysteresis loops, the shape of which is usually associated with interconnections in porous media, are observed whether the pores are open at one or at both ends, in contradiction with Cohan's model.
Physical Review Letters 07/2002; 88(25 Pt 1):256102. · 7.37 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We report on an experimental study of adsorption isotherme of nitrogen onto porous silicon with non interconnected pores open at one or at both ends in order to check for the first time the old (1938) but always current idea based on Cohan's description which suggests that the adsorption of gaz should occur reversibly in the first case and irreversibly in the second one. Hysteresis loops, the shape of which is usually associated to interconnections in porous media, are observed whether the pores are open at one or at both ends in contradiction with Cohan's model. Comment: 5 pages, 4 EPS figures
12/2001;
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ABSTRACT: We report a simulation study of the system m-nitrotoluene–n-decane, showing an apparent critical point, which lies in their metastable, experimentally inaccessible state, below their melting point, affecting physical and chemical properties of this systems in the stable liquid phase. The presence of the apparent critical point in this mixture has been experimentally observed by the non-linear dielectric effect (NDE) as an anomalous increase in the NDE values typical of critical concentrations. The phase diagrams of this mixture have evidenced that the system freezes in the homogenous phase and its melting point is higher than its critical temperature [M. Śliwińska-Bartkowiak, B. Szurkowski, T. Hilczer, Chem. Phys. Lett. 94 (1983) 609, M. Śliwińska-Bartkowiak, Ber. Bunsengess. Phys. Chem. 94 (1990) 64, M. Śliwińska-Bartkowiak, Phys. Lett. A 128 (1988) 84]. For such a system, we performed Monte Carlo simulations aimed at analyzing the kind of phase transition observed, and their conditions of their occurrence in a Lennard-Jones mixture. The enthalpy, configurational energy and radial distribution function have been estimated by the MC simulation method in the NPT system. Immiscibility conditions according to Hoheisel [M. Schoen, C. Hoheisel, Mol. Phys. 57 (1986) 65] approach have also been discussed.
Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 353:4565-4569. · 1.54 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We report a theoretical and simulation study of the temperature dependence of adsorption hysteresis for porous matrices having different morphologies and topologies. We used off-lattice Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations and two Density Functional Theories (DFT): we used the standard DFT in the non local approximation for cylindrical pores and the coarse-grained lattice DFT developed by Kierlik et al. [7] for disordered porous materials. We aim at gaining some insights on the concept of critical hysteresis temperature defined as the temperature at which the adsorption/desorption isotherm becomes reversible.
Studies in surface science and catalysis 160:1-8.
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ABSTRACT: We have performed atomistic Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations (GCMC) of adsorption of argon at 77 K in silica nanopores of different size and shape in order to assess the concept of t-plot (thickness of the adsorbed film with increasing pressure) used in phenomenological models for capillary condensation and mesoporous solids characterisation. Results obtained for cylindrical pores of different sizes are compared to the case of a non porous substrate. The film adsorbed in pore of diameter 10 nm has the same thickness than that obtained on the planar substrate. By contrast, as pores get smaller, we show the existence of a confinement effect on the t-plot. A FHH type of law (with a pore-size depending exponent) can be used to model this confinement effect. We have also investigated the effect of surface roughness. Results compared to the case of a smooth cylindrical pore indicates that surface roughness increases significantly the adsorbed amount and leads to an apparent film thickness thicker than for the smooth substrate. Roughness at larger length scale (pore constriction) is shown to have also a strong influence on capillary condensation which occurs at lower pressure than for the equivalent unconstricted pore; the corresponding apparent t-plot is largely affected by the presence of the constriction. Finally, simulations performed in two ellipsoidal and a hexagonal pores are reported. For the largest ellipsoidal pore and the hexagonal pore, we show that the gas/adsorbate interface keeps memory of the pore morphology at low pressures and, then, adopts a cylindrical shape as the pressure is increased. By contrast, in the smallest ellipsoidal pore, which also presents the most asymmetrical shape, the interface remains asymmetrical over the entire pressure range prior to the capillary condensation. For some of the pore geometries studied in this work, we discuss the validity of the BET model.
Studies in surface science and catalysis 144:35-42.
