Excess thermodynamic properties of mixtures of Lennard-Jones liquids

The results of Monte Carlo calculations in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble are reported for a series of binary mixtures of Lennard-Jones liquids at zero pressure and a temperature of 115·8 K. In the case of equimolar mixtures comparison is made with the predictions of several recently developed theories of liquid mixtures. Particularly good results for excess Gibbs free energy and enthalpy are obtained from the variational theory of Mansoori and Leland and for excess volume from the one-fluid version of the so-called van der Waals model.     

Phase equilibra in binary Lennard-Jones mixtures: phase diagram simulation

A three-box version of the Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo method was used to determine the phase diagram type of several binary mixtures of one-centre Lennard-Jones particles. The method can be used to establish a direct link between the intermolecular potential modelling the interactions in a given system and its fluid phase diagram, without the knowledge of the corresponding equation of state governing its ρVT behaviour. As an example of the application of the method, closed-loop behaviour in an isotropic system could be found using a set of Lennard-Jones parameters exhibiting a cross-interaction diameter with a negative deviation from the Lorentz—Berthelot combination rule.     

Thermodynamic properties of a hard-core Lennard-Jones fluid from computer simulation and the coupling parameter series expansion

ABSTRACT

The thermodynamic properties of a fluid with an interaction potential consisting in a hard-sphere core plus a Lennard-Jones tail have been obtained by Monte Carlo (MC) NVT simulation as a function of the density along several isotherms. In addition, the liquid–vapour coexistence has been determined by means of histogram-reweighting MC. These data have been used to analyse the performance of perturbation theory. To this end, the first three perturbation terms of the inverse temperature expansion of the Helmholtz free energy have been obtained by means of MC NVT simulations to test the convergence of the perturbation series and to compare with the predictions of the coupling parameter series expansion. Then, the predictions of the latter theory for the thermodynamic properties have been compared with the simulations, revealing the overall excellent performance of this perturbation theory for this model fluid, except in the vicinity of the critical point.     

Lennard-Jones chain mixtures: radial distribution functions from Monte Carlo simulation

Radial distribution functions are calculated for binary Lennard-Jones chain mixtures from Monte Carlo simulation. Average and end-to-end inter- and intrachain radial distribution functions are calculated, ten for a binary mixture and four for a pure component. The effects of density, concentration, temperature, chain length, Lennard-Jones size and energy parameters are investigated. It is found that intrachain radial distribution functions are largely independent of density except at very high densities, where they start to take on a structure tending towards that of a crystal lattice. In addition, the effect of using different distribution functions to calculate the associating contribution in statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT) is examined. Further, the effect of using short chain fluids rather than the monomer unit as the reference system in the calculation of the pressure and free energy of chain fluids in first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT) is examined. It is found that the choice of reference radial distribution function has a marked effect on the calculation of thermodynamic properties through the use of SAFT and TPT.     

Phase behavior of binary hard-sphere mixtures from perturbation theory

Using a first-order perturbation theory, we have studied the phase diagram of a binary mixture of hard spheres for different values of the size ratio. Recent models for the two-body depletion potential between large spheres are used to take into account the role of the small spheres. The theory predicts a complex phase diagram including a fluid-solid transition at high packing fraction of small spheres, metastability of fluid-fluid demixing, an isostructural solid-solid transition at high packing fraction of the large spheres for sufficiently small values of the size ratio q of the spheres, and the tendency to sticky-sphere behavior in the limit q-->0. The agreement with recent simulation results is quite good. We also show that this phenomenology was already implicit in the pioneering work of Asakura and Oosawa.     

Influence of dispersive long-range interactions on properties of vapour–liquid equilibria and interfaces of binary Lennard-Jones mixtures

The influence of dispersive long-range interactions on properties of vapour–liquid equilibria and interfaces of six binary Lennard-Jones (LJ) mixtures was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density gradient theory (DGT). The mixtures were investigated at a constant temperature T, at which the low-boiling component, which is the same in all mixtures, is subcritical. Two different high-boiling components were considered: one is subcritical, the other is supercritical at T. Furthermore, the unlike dispersive interaction was varied such that mixtures with three different types of phase behaviour were obtained: ideal, low-boiling azeotrope, and high-boiling azeotrope. In a first series of simulations, the full LJ potential was used to describe these mixtures. To assess the influence of the long-range interactions, these results were compared with simulations carried out with the LJ truncated and shifted (LJTS) potential applying the corresponding states principle. The dispersive long-range interactions have a significant influence on the surface tension and the interfacial thickness of the studied mixtures, whereas the relative adsorption and the enrichment are hardly affected. Furthermore, the influence of the long-range interactions on Henry's law constants and the phase envelopes of the vapour–liquid equilibrium was investigated. The long-range interactions have practically no influence on the composition dependency of the investigated mixture properties.     

A classical density functional approach to depletion interaction of Lennard-Jones binary mixtures

In this article, we apply classical density functional theory to investigate the characteristics of depletion interaction in Lennard-Jones (LJ) binary fluid mixtures. First, to confirm the validity of our adopted density functional formalism, we calculate the radial distribution functions using a theoretical approach and compare them with results obtained by molecular dynamics simulation. Then, this approach is applied to two colloids immersed in LJ solvent systems. We investigate the variation of depletion interaction with respect to the distance of two colloids in LJ binary systems. We find that depletion interaction may be attractive or repulsive, mostly depending on the bulk density of the solvent and the temperature of the binary system. For high bulk densities, the repulsive barrier of depletion force is remarkable when the total excluded volume of colloids touches each other and reaches a maximum. The height of the repulsive barrier is related to the parameters of the LJ potential and bulk density. Moreover, the depletion force may exhibit attractive wells if the bulk density of the solvent is low. The attractive well tends to appear when the surface–surface distance of colloids is half of the size of the polymer and deepens with temperature lowering in a fixed bulk density. In contrast with the hard-sphere system, no oscillation of depletion potential around zero is observed.     

Thermodynamic properties of the Lennard-Jones FCC solid: perturbation theory parameterisation and Monte Carlo simulation

This work is concerned with a valid representation of the solid-phase equation of state (EOS), the validity of which is evaluated by comparing to Monte Carlo (MC) simulation results. The proposed EOS has been developed by employing an optimal division of the Lannard-Jones (LJ) potential and an effective temperature- and density-dependent diameter into the framework of the simplified perturbation theory. Then, with the aim of extending to the chain systems, the conventional chain contribution (i.e. TPT1) is added to the proposed model (i.e. the atomic LJ system). Finally, the solid-state EOS based on Helmholtz free energy will be introduced for low temperature and high density conditions. To verify the accuracy of the proposed model, its performance is compared with the results of MC simulation. The comparison between the obtained results from the proposed model and the MC simulations shows that the EOS can satisfactorily predict the properties of the solid LJ system, both for the atomic system and for the chains.     

On thermal diffusion in binary and ternary Lennard-Jones mixtures by non-equilibrium molecular dynamics

Molecular simulation appears to be an alternative to experiment for the estimation of transport and thermodynamics properties of fluid mixtures, which is of primary importance in the evaluation of the initial state of a petroleum reservoir. In this study, a non-equilibrium molecular dynamics algorithm has been applied to mixtures of Lennard-Jones spheres in order to compute the thermal diffusion process. The pertinence of such an approach to simple alkane mixtures is shown. The separate influences on the thermal diffusion of the molecular features in binary equimolar mixtures are then summarized. Simulations on binary non-equimolar mixtures have been performed as well. The results indicate an increase in the thermal diffusion process with increasing molar fraction of the lightest component. Moreover, this increase is enhanced with increasing difference in the number of carbons between the two alkanes. Then, a simple method, which yields results consistent with simulations, is proposed to predict thermal diffusion for the whole range of molar fractions starting only from the equimolar value. Finally, for ternary mixtures, the law of the corresponding states is shown to be valid when the appropriate mixing rules are applied, which allows the estimation of thermal diffusion in such mixtures from equivalent binary mixtures.     

A computer simulation study of racemic mixtures

A simple model for a chiral molecule is proposed. The model consists of a central atom bonded to four different atoms in tetrahedral coordination. Two different potentials were used to describe the pair potentials between atoms: the hard sphere potential and the Lennard-Jones potential. For both the hard sphere and the Lennard-Jones chiral models, computer simulations have been performed for the pure enantiomers and also for the racemic mixture. The racemic mixture consisted of an equimolar mixture of the two optically active enantiomers. It is found that the equations of state are the same, within statistical uncertainty, for the pure enantiomer fluid and for the racemic mixture. Only at high pressures does the racemic mixture seem to have a higher density, for a given pressure, than the pure enantiomer. Concering the structure, no difference is found in the site-site correlation functions between like and unlike molecules in the racemic mixture either at low or at high densities. However, small differences are found for the site-site correlations of the pure enantiomer and those of the racemic mixtures. In the Lennard-Jones model, similar conclusions are drawn. The extension of Wertheim's first-order perturbation theory, denoted bonded hard sphere theory (ARCHER, A. L., and JACKSON, G., 1991, Molec. Phys., 73, 881; AMOS, M. D., and JACKSON, G., 1992, J. chem. Phys., 96, 4604), successfully reproduces the simulation results for the hard chiral model. Virial coefficients of the hard chiral model up to the fourth have also been evaluated. Again, no differences are found between virial coefficients of the pure fluid and of the racemic mixture. All the results of this work illustrate the quasi-ideal behaviour of racemic mixtures in the fluid phase.     

Excess thermodynamic properties of liquid mixtures of methane and perfluoromethane

New intermolecular potentials, derived in part from ab initio calculations, have been used in molecular-dynamics simulations of liquid mixtures of CH₄ and CF₄. Results for the excess volumes and excess enthalpies are found to be in excellent agreement with experimental data. Structural features of the simulated mixtures are strongly suggestive of a tendency to demix.     

Excess properties of methanol-water binary system at various temperatures

Summary  In this study the viscosities of binary mixtures of methanol and water have been measured in the temperatures ranging from 15 to 45°C. The structural changes occurring as a consequence of molecular interactions in the solutions have been discussed in detail. Nevertheless, it would be of interest to see whether the information obtained from viscosity studies can be corroborated with that obtained from dielectric-constant data. With this aim, the present study on the dielectric behaviour of methanol-water binary solutions has been undertaken. The static dielectric constants, densities and refractive indices have been also measured on the methanol-water mixtures expressed by the mole fraction of methanol (0<x₂<1). Excess dielectric constants, excess volumes, excess viscosities and excess Gibbs energies of activation of the viscous flow and Kirkwood correlation factors have been evaluated using experimental results since these calculations may lead to conclusions concerning the deviation of the system from an ideal-mixture behaviour.     

Dynamical properties of Ag-Cu binary alloy from molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations (MD) of dynamical properties of molten binary Ag-Cu alloy is presented at various temperature above the eutetic temperature. Atoms in the system have been modelled through an interatomic Lennard-Jones potential interaction. The structure, through the effective pair distribution function allows to determine the Enksog collision frequency as well as the coordination of atoms in the first shell. The surface traction, which is the force per unit area between the species shows a long separation oscillation about the value zero, while the collision frequency of pairs of atoms increase with increasing temperature. The adhesion energy between components found to be 3.4178 J/m². In agreement with theory, we found a decrease in surface tension of Ag-Cu alloy as temperature increases. Separation of atoms pairs in the first shell might be responsible for a non linear relationship found between temperature and coordination number in present calculations.     

Excess molar volumes and isentropic compressibilities of binary liquid mixtures containing n-alkanes at 298.15 K

Excess molar volumes (V ^E) and deviation in isentropic compressibilities (Δβ _s) have been investigated from the density ρ and speed of sound u measurements of six binary liquid mixtures containing n-alkanes over the entire range of composition at 298.15 K. Excess molar volume exhibits inversion in sign in one binary mixture, i.e., n-heptane + n-hexane. Remaining five binary mixtures, n-heptane + toluene, cyclohexane + n-heptane, cyclohexane + n-hexane, toluene + n-hexane and n-decane + n-hexane show negative excess molar volumes over the whole composition range. However, the large negative values of excess molar volume becomes domainant in toluene + n-hexane mixture. Deviation in isentropic compressibility is negative over the whole range of composition in the case of all the six binary mixtures. Existence of specific intermolecular interactions in the mixtures has been analyzed in terms of excess molar volume and deviation in isentropic compressibility.     

Excess molar volumes and viscosities for binary mixtures of alkoxypropanols with 1-alkanols at 298.15 K

The excess molar volumes (V_m^E) and viscosities (η) for binary mixtures of dipropylene glycol tert-butyl ether with methanol, 1-propanol, 1-pentanol, and 1-heptanol and viscosities of dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether and dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether with methanol, 1-pentanol, and 1-heptanol have been reported at 298.15 K. The V_m^E are negative for the mixtures investigated. Sign and magnitude of V_m^E and viscosity deviations were used to analyze the mixing behavior of the components.     

On the theory of spinodal decomposition in solid and liquid binary mixtures

The kinetics of phase separation is discussed with emphasis on the transition between spinodal decomposition and nucleation. A reanalysis of the theory of Langer, Baron and Miller shows that it exhibits a spinodal line somewhat closer to the coexistence curve than the meanfield spinodal. There the same (as we think unphysical) critical singularities occur as in Cahn-Hilliard theory. The precise location of this spinodal line depends on the cell size of the coarse graining. For concentrations less than the spinodal one the structure factorS(k, t) converges then towards the structure factor of the metastable onephase state, implying an infinite lifetime of the latter.In order to include the effects of nucleation and growth we hence present an alternative treatment, extending our previous work on cluster dynamics. From a simple approximation for the radial concentration distribution function of clustersS(k, t) is computed numerically. Even at rather low concentrations the time evolution ofS(k, t) is then similar to what Langer et al. find at high concentrations, implying a very gradual transition from nucleation and growth to spinodal decomposition, at least for parameter values appropriate to the Ising model. This treatment, which is consistent with Lifshitz-Slyozov's coarsening law at late times, is extended to the early stages of phase separation in liquid mixtures.     

A density-functional theory study of microphase formation in binary Gaussian mixtures

We use density-functional theory to study the formation of inhomogeneous phases in a binary mixture of particles interacting by repulsive, athermal Gaussian potentials with suitably chosen strengths and ranges. Both the potential parameters and the free-energy functional are the same as those adopted in a previous investigation by other authors (Archer A J, Likos C N and Evans R 2004 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 16 L297), but here a fully numerical minimization of the functional is performed, without any assumption about the functional form of the density profile. We find lamellar, rod and cluster phases. In the lamellar phase, the two species arrange into intercalating stripes; in the rod and cluster phases, the minority species is localized at the site of a periodic lattice, either triangular (for rods) or body-centred cubic (for clusters), while the other species is distributed non-uniformly in the remaining region, so that it forms a percolating network. The order of the transition from the homogeneous to the inhomogeneous phase and the phase diagram of the mixture are also discussed.     

Excess molar heat capacity of isobutyric acid–water binary liquid mixtures near and far away from the critical temperature

The heat capacity of the liquid–liquid mixture isobutyric acid–water has been measured for the first time near and far away from its critical point using an adiabatic calorimeter. The measurements were performed at atmospheric pressure, in the one phase region as a function of three temperatures: (1) T − T_C = 0.055 °C, (2) T − T_C = 3.055 °C, (3) T − T_C = 8.055 °C and of the composition X in acid (IA). The heat capacity C_p decreases rapidly when X increases at the used temperatures. Near the critical composition, C_p is not affected by the correlation of the concentration fluctuations.

The molar excess heat capacity of the system under investigation was analysed along the phase diagram and considered as a structural transformation effect.     

Theoretical and computer simulation study of density fluctuations in liquid binary alloys

The dynamical properties of liquid alloys are investigated by means of memory function equations and molecular-dynamics simulation. A simple model for the second-order memory function in a binary liquid, based on Mori's memory function formalism, is proposed and applied in numerical calculations of the time correlation functions and dynamic structure factor of liquid K_0.7Cs_0.3 and K_0.3Cs_0.7 alloys. Obtained results are discussed in comparison with the results of computer simulations. Received: 27 February 1998 / Revised: 24 July 1998 / Accepted: 27 July 1998