Surface potential interfacial water simulation

Equations 3-4 show that the form of the interaction potentials used in simulating interfacial water is critical. Of interest for interfacial systems are both the interaction potential between water molecules and that between the surface and a water molecule. 

An interaction potential between the surface and ions may also be needed in simulating counterion diffusion for the smectite and mica surface models. The form of such an interaction potential remains to be determined. This may not pose a significant problem, since recent evidence (40) suggests that over 98% of the cations near smectite surfaces lie within the shear plane. For specifically adsorbed cations such as potassium or calcium, the surface-ion interactions can also be neglected if it is assumed that cation diffusion contributes little to the water structure. In simulating the interaction potential between counterions and interfacial water, a water-ion interaction potential similar to those already developed for MD simulations (41-43) could be specified. 

Several MC and MD studies of interfacial water near hydrophobic surfaces have been reported (33-36,44-48). Both of the MC studies (35,45). as well as the four MD studies (33,34,36,47) reporting detailed observations of interfacial water are discussed here. This comparison will show that choice of the water-water potential is critical for such studies. It will also illustrate the wide range of interfacial properties which can be studied using computer simulations. Results from the early pioneering MC studies for interfacial water are summarized in Table IV. 

The results in Table V illustrate that MD studies, compared to the MC results in Table IV, facilitate the investigation of transport and time-dependent properties. Also, they show that use of the MCY potential leads to very large density oscillations and increasing water density near the surfaces. This appears to be a serious drawback to the use of the MCY potential in simulations of interfacial water. Results from the investigations using the ST2 potential show that interfacial water density is approximately 1.0 g/cc, with a tendency for decreased density and hydrogen bonding near the surfaces. As in the MC simulations, orientations of the water dipole moment are affected by the presence of a solid/liquid interface, and an... 

MD simulations of the structure of water at the interface between pure water and its vapor have shown [27]-[31] that the molecular dipoles of water tend to lie parallel to the surface, though with a net dipole moment of the interfacial layer which points into the liquid and persists several molecular layers into the bulk. Similar preferred orientations have been observed experimentally [32]. Besides, MD calculations have been used [33] to interpret [34] (electrostatic) surface potential measurements. 

The non situ experiment pioneered by Sass uses a preparation of an electrode in an ultrahigh vacuum through cryogenic coadsorption of known quantities of electrolyte species (i.e., solvent, ions, and neutral molecules) on a metal surface. " Such experiments serve as a simulation, or better, as a synthetic model of electrodes. The use of surface spectroscopic techniques makes it possible to determine the coverage and structure of a synthesized electrolyte. The interfacial potential (i.e., the electrode work function) is measured using the voltaic cell technique. Of course, there are reasonable objections to the UHV technique, such as too little water, too low a temperature, too small interfacial potentials, and lack of control of ionic activities. ... 

It is important to propose molecular and theoretical models to describe the forces, energy, structure and dynamics of water near mineral surfaces. Our understanding of experimental results concerning hydration forces, the hydrophobic effect, swelling, reaction kinetics and adsorption mechanisms in aqueous colloidal systems is rapidly advancing as a result of recent Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MO) models for water properties near model surfaces. This paper reviews the basic MC and MD simulation techniques, compares and contrasts the merits and limitations of various models for water-water interactions and surface-water interactions, and proposes an interaction potential model which would be useful in simulating water near hydrophilic surfaces. In addition, results from selected MC and MD simulations of water near hydrophobic surfaces are discussed in relation to experimental results, to theories of the double layer, and to structural forces in interfacial systems. 

A wide variety of different models of the pure water/solid interface have been investigated by Molecular Dynamics or Monte Carlo statistical mechanical simulations. The most realistic models are constructed on the basis of semiempirical or ab initio quantum chemical calculations and use an atomic representation of the substrate lattice. Nevertheless, the understanding of the structure of the liquid/metal surface is only at its beginning as (i) the underlying potential energy surfaces are not known very well and (ii) detailed experimental information of the interfacial structure of the solvent is not available at the moment (with the notable exception of the controversial study of the water density oscillations near the silver surface by Toney et al. [140, 176]). 

Spohr describes in detail the use of computer simulations in modeling the metal/ electrolyte interface, which is currently one of the main routes towards a microscopic understanding of the properties of aqueous solutions near a charged surface. After an extensive discussion of the relevant interaction potentials, results for the metal/water interface and for electrolytes containing non-specifically and specifically adsorbing ions, are presented. Ion density profiles and hydration numbers as a function of distance from the electrode surface reveal amazing details about the double layer structure. In turn, the influence of these phenomena on electrode kinetics is briefly addressed for simple interfacial reactions. 

The AIMD method, based on the Carr and ParrineUo approach [127], has also been applied in the study of electrochemistry [128]. Reactive Force Field approaches are now being used to study the ionomer/water/catalyst interfaces during an electrochemical reaction [129]. Neurock et al. developed a detailed first-principles approach that employs a double-reference method to simulate the influence of the electrochemical potential on the chemistry at the metal/solution interface [130]. hi this method the aqueous solution metal interface and the interfacial potential drop are explicitly treated. However the choice of an appropriate water surface structure is critical for establishing the appropriate electrochemical behavior at the atomistic scale. This method has been applied to smdy some electrochemical steps involved in the ORR and methanol oxidation on Pt (e.g. [131, 132]). 

The obtained electrostatic potential profiles and ion distributions can in principle be used to calculate surface or interfacial tensions. However, up to now only few PMFs for ion-water surface interactions are available from MD simulations and there are no reliable experimental data of interfacial tensions for SAM-solution interfaces. Therefore it is not yet possible to check if the correct Hofmeister series can be obtained with this new approach. 

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