On statistical mechanical equations of state for simple fluids : Effective hard spheres and quantum corrections

Nordholm, S., Greberg, H. and Penfold, R., 1991. On statistical mechanical equations of state for simple fluids. Effective hard spheres and quantum corrections. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 90: 307-332.

A comparison is made of the mean field generalised van der Waals theory, based on a variationally determined hard sphere diameter, with the recent equation of state proposed by Song and Mason incorporating a temperature-dependent hard sphere diameter and correlation effects through the second virial coefficient. The simple cell theory ansatz of the former is less accurate but permits a wide range of applications including the estimation of quantum effects on the bulk properties of light fluids at low temperatures. Results for the critical parameters of ³He, ⁴He, H₂, Ne, CH₄ and Ar are examined. The relevance to the corresponding theory of non-uniform fluids is noted.     

Theoretical direct correlation function for two-dimensional fluids of monodisperse hard spheres

The direct correlation function plays an important role in describing the effects of the structure of particle systems with respect to light diffraction, x-ray diffraction as well as transmission and transmission fluctuations of radiation through a dense suspension. In this paper, the direct correlation function for a monolayer of monodisperse hard spheres or disks is derived theoretically. Based on the approximation of Baus and Colot [Phys. Rev. A 36, 3912 (1987)] and the equation of state for a fluid of hard disks by Santos et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 103, 4622 (1995)], we propose a new direct correlation function, which compares well to the approximate analytical expressions and gives a good prediction of the structure factor in a wide range of monolayer density or suspension concentration. The resulting radial distribution function also agrees well with Monte Carlo computer simulation data. The corresponding contact values of the radial distribution function compare well with the results of analytic approximations, numerical solutions, and computer simulations. Our proposed direct correlation function is applied to the transmission fluctuation spectrometric study. Experimental results show good agreement with the theory.     

Generalized boublick equation: an accurate expression for the equation of state of hard fused spheres

Abstract

A simple expression to calculate the shape factor of hard bodies is proposed. Introducing this factor in the Boublik equation of state, very good results are obtained for hard dumbells and more complicated systems of linear homonuclear hard fused spheres. Agreement with available Monte Carlo results are also satisfactory enough for heteronuclear molecules. Furthermore, the new expression is reduced to the classical shape factor for hard convex bodies and provides a common basis to manage to concave and convex hard bodies.     

Scalar fundamental measure theory for hard spheres in three dimensions: application to hydrophobic solvation

Hard-sphere mixtures provide one a solvable reference system that can be used to improve the density functional theory of realistic molecular fluids. We show how the Kierlik-Rosinberg's scalar version of the fundamental measure density functional theory of hard spheres [E. Kierlik and M. L. Rosinberg, Phys. Rev. A 42, 3382 (1990)], which presents computational advantages with respect to the original Rosenfeld's vectorial formulation or its extensions, can be implemented and minimized in three dimensions to describe fluid mixtures in complex environments. This implementation is used as a basis for defining a molecular density functional theory of water around molecular hydrophobic solutes of arbitrary shape.     

A quartic hard chain equation of state for normal fluids

A new empirical equation of state is proposed which is applicable to mixtures of chain-like molecules. The equation is based on a simple model which uses an approximate chain theory and an approximation of the Carnahan—Starling equation. The results for pure component properties of normal fluids are comparable to the common cubic equations of state. For mixtures of chain-like molecules, the new equation is as good or better than the Peng—Robinson equation.     

On the application of conventional quantum chemistry methods of computation to states perturbed by the continuous spectrum

The suitability for calculating accurately electron affinities (positive or negative) of the QCISD(T), of the B3LYP density functional, and of similar methods is examined critically, using as examples the B⁻³P, ¹D, and Be⁻²P states discussed recently by Bauschlicher [Int. J. Quantum Chem. 66, 285 (1998)]. It is pointed out that for negative ion states above the threshold the framework of their calculation must be based on theory which accounts correctly for the contribution of the open channels. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 71: 209–213, 1999     

Determination of the melting point of hard spheres from direct coexistence simulation methods

We consider the computation of the coexistence pressure of the liquid-solid transition of a system of hard spheres from direct simulation of the inhomogeneous system formed from liquid and solid phases separated by an interface. Monte Carlo simulations of the interfacial system are performed in three different ensembles. In a first approach, a series of simulations is carried out in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble, where the solid is allowed to relax to its equilibrium crystalline structure, thus avoiding the appearance of artificial stress in the system. Here, the total volume of the system fluctuates due to changes in the three dimensions of the simulation box. In a second approach, we consider simulations of the inhomogeneous system in an isothermal-isobaric ensemble where the normal pressure, as well as the area of the (planar) fluid-solid interface, are kept constant. Now, the total volume of the system fluctuates due to changes in the longitudinal dimension of the simulation box. In both approaches, the coexistence pressure is estimated by monitoring the evolution of the density along several simulations carried out at different pressures. Both routes are seen to provide consistent values of the fluid-solid coexistence pressure, p=11.54(4)k(B)T/sigma(3), which indicates that the error introduced by the use of the standard constant-pressure ensemble for this particular problem is small, provided the systems are sufficiently large. An additional simulation of the interfacial system is conducted in a canonical ensemble where the dimensions of the simulation box are allowed to change subject to the constraint that the total volume is kept fixed. In this approach, the coexistence pressure corresponds to the normal component of the pressure tensor, which can be computed as an appropriate ensemble average in a single simulation. This route yields a value of p=11.54(4)k(B)T/sigma(3). We conclude that the results obtained for the coexistence pressure from direct simulations of the liquid and solid phases in coexistence using different ensembles are mutually consistent and are in excellent agreement with the values obtained from free energy calculations.     

On the caging number of two- and three-dimensional hard spheres

Local structural arrest in random packings of colloidal or granular spheres is quantified by a caging number, defined as the average minimum number of randomly placed spheres on a single sphere that immobilize all its translations. We present an analytic solution for the caging number for two-dimensional hard disks immobilized by neighbor disks which are placed at random positions under the constraint of a nonoverlap condition. Immobilization of a disk with radius r = 1 by arbitrary larger neighbor disks with radius r > or = 1 is solved analytically, whereas for contacting neighbors with radius 0 < r < 1, the caging number can be evaluated accurately with an approximate excluded volume model that also applies to spheres in higher Euclidean dimension. Comparison of our exact two-dimensional caging number with studies on random disk packing indicates that it relates to the average coordination number of random loose packing, whereas the parking number is more indicative for coordination in random dense packing of disks.     

On the computation of long-range interactions in fluids under confinement: application to pore systems with various types of spatial periodicity

The problem of computing accurately the long-range Coulomb interactions in physical systems is investigated focusing mainly on the atomistic simulation of fluids sorbed in porous solids. Several articles involving theory and computation of long-range interactions in charged systems are reviewed, in order to explore the possibility of adapting or developing methodology in the field of computer simulation of sorbate molecules inside nanostructures modeled through a three-dimensional (crystal frameworks), two-dimensional (slit-shaped pores), or one-dimensional (cylindrical pores) replication of their unit cell. For this reason we digitally reconstruct selected paradigms of three-dimensional microporous structures which exhibit different spatial periodicities such as the zeolite crystals of MFI and FAU type, graphitic slit-shaped pores, and single-wall carbon nanotubes in order to study the sorption of CO(2), N(2), and H(2) via grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation; the predicted data are compared with experimental measurements found elsewhere. Suitable technical adjustments to the use of conventional Ewald technique, whenever it is possible, prove to be effective in the computation of electrostatic field of all the categories studied in this work.     

On the relation between virial coefficients and the close-packing of hard disks and hard spheres

The question of whether the known virial coefficients are enough to determine the packing fraction η(∞) at which the fluid equation of state of a hard-sphere fluid diverges is addressed. It is found that the information derived from the direct Pade? approximants to the compressibility factor constructed with the virial coefficients is inconclusive. An alternative approach is proposed which makes use of the same virial coefficients and of the equation of state in a form where the packing fraction is explicitly given as a function of the pressure. The results of this approach both for hard-disk and hard-sphere fluids, which can straightforwardly accommodate higher virial coefficients when available, lends support to the conjecture that η(∞) is equal to the maximum packing fraction corresponding to an ordered crystalline structure.     

Volume-based thermoelasticity: consequences of the (near) proportionality of isothermal compressibility to formula-unit volume

Groups of structurally related materials, including the alkali halides, exhibit a proportionality of isothermal compressibility to formula-unit volume. The relationship has recently been explored by Glasser and by Recio et al. In this paper, we present the consequences of such proportionality on the relationships of Born-Lande? and Born-Mayer parameters to the formula-unit volume. These relationships have then been tested separately on (i) alkali (excluding cesium) halides and (ii) cesium halides. We conclude that the equations fit the NaCl-type materials satisfactorily, but less well for the CsCl-type materials, and that the Born-Mayer equation is more applicable. These results confirm the conclusion that volume is intimately linked to thermodynamic quantities, as already demonstrated by our development of volume-based thermodynamics (VBT).     

On the influence of a patterned substrate on crystallization in suspensions of hard spheres

We present a computer simulation study on crystal nucleation and growth in supersaturated suspensions of mono-disperse hard spheres induced by a triangular lattice substrate. The main result is that compressed substrates are wet by the crystalline phase (the crystalline phase directly appears without any induction time), while for stretched substrates we observe heterogeneous nucleation. The shapes of the nucleated crystallites fluctuate strongly. In the case of homogeneous nucleation amorphous precursors have been observed [T. Schilling et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105(2), 025701 (2010)]. For heterogeneous nucleation we do not find such precursors. The fluid is directly transformed into highly ordered crystallites.     

Electrophoresis of ionic microgel particles: from charged hard spheres to polyelectrolyte-like behavior

We perform electrophoretic mobility measurements of ionic microgel particles in the deswollen and swollen phases. The results show that microgels behave as charged hard spheres in the first case and as free-draining spherical polyelectrolytes in the latter. A unified theory for the electrophoresis of polyelectrolyte-coated particles [H. Ohshima, Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 62, 189 (1995)] is shown to contain the essential physics for describing the experiments, upon adequate consideration of the particles swelling behavior and network-solvent friction variations.     

Hard spheres revisited: accurate calculation of the solid-liquid interfacial free energy

We revise the earlier [R. L. Davidchack and B. B. Laird, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 4751 (2000)] direct calculation of the hard sphere solid-liquid interfacial free energy by the cleaving walls method. The revisions of the method include modified interactions with the cleaving walls and the use of a nonequilibrium work measurements approach, which allows for a more robust control of the accuracy of the obtained results. We find that the new values are lower compared to the original ones, which is consistent with the more recent indirect estimates based on extrapolation from the soft-sphere results [R. L. Davidchack and B. B. Laird, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 086102 (2005)], as well as those obtained using the capillary fluctuations method [R. L. Davidchack, J. R. Morris, and B. B. Laird, J. Chem. Phys. 125, 094710 (2006)].     

Phase behavior of weakly polydisperse sticky hard spheres: perturbation theory for the Percus-Yevick solution

We study the effects of size polydispersity on the gas-liquid phase behavior of mixtures of sticky hard spheres. To achieve this, the system of coupled quadratic equations for the contact values of the partial cavity functions of the Percus-Yevick solution [R. J. Baxter, J. Chem. Phys. 49, 2770 (1968)] is solved within a perturbation expansion in the polydispersity, i.e., the normalized width of the size distribution. This allows us to make predictions for various thermodynamic quantities which can be tested against numerical simulations and experiments. In particular, we determine the leading order effects of size polydispersity on the cloud curve delimiting the region of two-phase coexistence and on the associated shadow curve; we also study the extent of size fractionation between the coexisting phases. Different choices for the size dependence of the adhesion strengths are examined carefully; the Asakura-Oosawa model [J. Chem. Phys. 22, 1255 (1954)] of a mixture of polydisperse colloids and small polymers is studied as a specific example.     

On the impossibility of defining adhesive hard spheres as sticky limit of a hard-sphere-Yukawa potential

For fluids of molecules with short-ranged hard-sphere-Yukawa (HSY) interactions, it is proven that the Noro-Frenkel "extended law of corresponding states" cannot be applied down to the vanishing attraction range, since the exact HSY second virial coefficient diverges in such a limit. It is also shown that, besides Baxter's original approach, a fully correct alternative definition of "adhesive hard spheres" can be obtained by taking the vanishing-range-limit (sticky limit) not of a Yukawa tail, as is commonly done, but of a slightly different potential with a logarithmic-Yukawa attraction.     

On the application of extended precision arithmetic to quantum mechanical calculations

The computer arithmetic of extended precision has been successfully applied to the problem of a hydrogen atom in an external magnetic field. The solution of the problem was obtained in the analytical form as a double series in nonseparable coordinates. Quantitative results were obtained by direct numerical summation of the series using software-emulated arithmetic of extended precision. Technical aspects of the numerical technique and its possible applications to other practical problems are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 62: 593–601, 1997     

On the separation of nonadditive symmetric mixtures in nanoscopic slitlike pores: A simple model for racemic fluids

A grand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo simulation method is used to study the adsorption of nonadditive symmetric mixtures of Lennard-Jones spherical particles in nanoscopic slitlike pores. The walls of the pore are assumed to be formed by the parallel (100) planes of the model face centered cubic crystal of adjustable corrugation potential. It is demonstrated that depending on the nonadditivity effects in the mixture and the pore width the condensed phases formed inside the pore may have different structures. In particular, it is shown that the mixture may separate into layers containing only one component each and the stacking may depend on the pore width and properties of the mixture.     

An analytical perturbed equation of state for hard chain fluids: Application to n-alkanes and n-perfluoroalkanes

A completely analytical equation of state for pure hard chain fluids, derived on the basis of perturbation theory and reported in our previous work, is applied for the calculation of pVT properties and the prediction of vapour–liquid equilibria of n-alkanes and n-perfluoroalkanes. The molecules are treated as a chain formed from freely joined spheres which interact via an extended site-site square-well potential. The molecular parameters of compounds are obtained from the experimental compressibility factor data above the critical temperature. These parameters are capable of relatively satisfactory prediction of the vapour–liquid equilibrium coexistence curves of compounds. Linear relationships have been found between the potential parameters of fluids and their molecular weight, which make it possible to predict the pVT data and vapour–liquid phase equilibria of heavier compounds.