Machine-Learned Free Energy Surfaces for Capillary Condensation and Evaporation in Mesopores

Using molecular simulations, we study the processes of capillary condensation and capillary evaporation in model mesopores. To determine the phase transition pathway, as well as the corresponding free energy profile, we carry out enhanced sampling molecular simulations using entropy as a reaction coordinate to map the onset of order during the condensation process and of disorder during the evaporation process. The structural analysis shows the role played by intermediate states, characterized by the onset of capillary liquid bridges and bubbles. We also analyze the dependence of the free energy barrier on the pore width. Furthermore, we propose a method to build a machine learning model for the prediction of the free energy surfaces underlying capillary phase transition processes in mesopores.     

Molecular Bridges Stabilize Graphene Oxide Membranes in Water

Recent innovations highlight the great potential of two‐dimensional graphene oxide (GO) films in water‐related applications. However, undesirable water‐induced effects, such as the redispersion and peeling of stacked GO laminates, greatly limit their performance and impact their practical application. It remains a great challenge to stabilize GO membranes in water. A molecular bridge strategy is reported in which an interlaminar short‐chain molecular bridge generates a robust GO laminate that resists the tendency to swell. Furthermore, an interfacial long‐chain molecular bridge adheres the GO laminate to a porous substrate to increase the mechanical strength of the membrane. By rationally creating and tuning the molecular bridges, the stabilized GO membranes can exhibit outstanding durability in harsh operating conditions, such as cross‐flow, high‐pressure, and long‐term filtration. This general and scalable stabilizing approach for GO membranes provides new opportunities for reliable two‐dimensional laminar films used in aqueous environments.     

Nonlinear models of suspension bridges

Nonlinear variational equations describing one type of suspension bridges are proposed and studied. The variational equations describe the behaviour of road bed, main cables and cable stays. The road bed is described by two functions connected with vertical and horizontal deformation of any cross section. The main cable is considered to be perfectly flexible and inextensible. The cable stays only resist tensile forces. The variational equations are derived from the principle of minimum potential energy. The existence of solution is based on the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem. The local uniqueness and continuous dependence on the data represented by gravitational forces acting on the road bed are studied. The local results are based on the Implicit Function Theorem for Banach spaces. A certain stability criterion for suspension bridges is formulated and this criterion indicates how to influence the stability of suspension bridges.     

Synthesen und Kristallstrukturen der chalkogenidoverbrückten Nickelclusterverbindungen [Ni5Se4Cl2(PPhEt2)6], [Ni12Se12(PnPr3)6] und [Ni18S18(PiPr3)6]

Syntheses and Crystal Structures of Chalcogenido‐bridged Nickel Cluster Compounds [Ni₅Se₄Cl₂(PPhEt₂)₆], [Ni₁₂Se₁₂(PⁿPr₃)₆], and [Ni₁₈S₁₈(PⁱPr₃)₆] The reaction of (R)ESiMe₃ (R = SiMe₃, Mes = C₉H₁₁; E = S, Se) with [NiCl₂(PPhEt₂)₂] and [NiCl₂(PR₃)₂] (R = ⁿPr, ⁱPr) gives new chalcogenido‐bridged nickel cluster compounds [Ni₅Se₄Cl₂(PPhEt₂)₆]·2THF ( 1 ), [Ni₁₂Se₁₂(PⁿPr₃)₆]·2THF ( 2 ), and [Ni₁₈S₁₈(PⁱPr₃)₆]·2THF ( 3 ). The structures of these compounds were determined by single crystal X‐ray structural analyses.     

Monte Carlo study of three-dimensional organization of water molecules around DNA fragments

Interactions with water molecules are important for the stabilization of three-dimensional structures of nucleic acids and for their functioning. The first hydration shells of macromolecules can be considered as structural parts of nucleic acid. We performed a Monte Carlo study of systems containing a nucleic acid base or base pair with water molecules using improved potential functions. These potential functions enable experimental data on both single base–single water interaction energies and enthalpies of base hydration to be reproduced. Hydration shell structures of base pairs are dependent on the pair geometry. Structural elements of hydration shells can contribute to the pair stability and hence to the probability of mispair formation during nucleic acid biosynthesis. The distribution of water molecules around bases and base pairs is essentially nonhomogeneous.From the Proceedings of the 28th Congreso de Químicos Teóricos de Expresión Latina (QUITEL 2002).     

Numerical treatment of a discontinuous top surface in 2D shallow water mixed flow modeling

This paper presents a numerical strategy based on shallow water equations (SWE) coupled with the 2D Preissmann slot model to handle a ceiling step discontinuity in finite volume schemes for mixed flow modeling. In practice, a typical situation would be a closed structure, such as a bridge or culvert, which induces a sudden vertical flow constriction and may even run partly or totally full in high flow conditions. In such case, both the inlet and outlet of the structure involve a discontinuity in the top elevation. This special singularity is topologically represented by inserting a fictitious cell between 2 adjacent computational cells characterized by sharply different ceiling elevation. The 2D SWE are solved by means of a well‐balanced quasi‐conservative Godunov‐type numerical scheme based on the Slope Limiter Centered (SLIC) scheme. The flow variables at each boundary of the fictitious cell are reconstructed by adopting the cross‐sectional shape of the adjoining cell. Accordingly, the dynamic effect of the structure deck on the flow is suitably modeled, and the C‐property for a stationary solution is rigorously satisfied, even when the closed structure is partially full. The capability of the numerical scheme is verified by comparison with both novel analytical solutions of 1D Riemann problems with a ceiling step discontinuity and experimental data of steady and unsteady mixed flows available in literature. Finally, a real‐scale application to a multiple arch bridge is presented. The results show that the method is robust and effective in predicting the 2D features induced by a crossing structure on the flow dynamics.     

A molecular dynamics simulation study of three polysulfones in dry and hydrated states

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of three polysulfones (poly(ether sulfone) PESU, poly(phenylene sulfone) PPSU and polysulfone PSU) in dry and hydrated states were undertaken in order to study the specific interactions between water and glassy polymer matrices of the same structural family. Dry polysulfone models were generated using a hybrid pivot Monte Carlo‐MD single‐chain sampling technique and the resulting relaxed densities were found to be in close agreement with experimental data. Hydrated systems are found to reproduce quite well volumetric changes experimentally observed. The concentrations of sulfonic groups can explain qualitatively their different water solubilities. Water is preferentially hydrogen‐bonded to two sites which either link two polymer sites, or one polymer site and another water, or two other waters. A detailed analysis of these water bridges that are formed is presented. Only a small quantity of potential bridging sites are occupied for water contents near the experimental saturation. The free fractional volumes, the probe accessible volumes, the swelling of the polymers, the water‐polymer interactions and the hydrogen bond lifetimes, are also presented for these polysulfones. Water‐water interactions and water clusters are found to be more important in the more hydrophilic PESU in comparison to the less hydrophilic PSU. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

Synthesis, Structure and Fluorescent Pr.operty of a Novel 2-D Sheet Inorganicorganic Hybrid Cadmium Polymer [CdBr2（bpdo）]n

A novel 2-D sheet inorganic-organic hybrid cadmium polymer,[CdBr2(bpdo)]n (bpdo=N,N'-O,O-4,4'-bipyridine) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis,IR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal crystallizes in monoclinic,space group C2/c,with a=16.336(3),b=3.9904(5),c=18.479(3),β=91.640(6)°,Mr= 460.40,V=1204.1(3)3,Z=4,Dc=2.540 g/cm3,μ=8.439 mm-1,F(000)=864,R=0.0314 and wR=0.0733 for 1069 observed reflections (I > 2σ(I)). X-ray diffraction reveals that the title compound consists of the 2-D inorganic-organic hybrid sheet constructed from [CdBr2]n chains and bpdo bridges in the packing motif of…ABAB….The title compound exhibits intense blue photoluminescence in the solid state at room temperature.