Transport properties of bulk water at 243–550 K: a Comparative molecular dynamics simulation study using SPC/E,TIP4P,and TIP4P/2005 water models

ABSTRACT

Molecular dynamics simulations of various water models – SPC/E (extended simple point charge), TIP4P (transferable intermolecular potential 4 points), and TIP4P/2005 – have been carried out in the canonical (NVT fixed) ensemble over the range of temperatures 243–550?K with Ewald summation. The transport properties (self-diffusion coefficients D, viscosities η, and thermal conductivities λ) of SPC/E, TIP4P, and TIP4P/2005 water were evaluated at 243–550?K and compared with experimental data. The temperature dependence of transport properties of SPC/E, TIP4P and TIP4P/2005 water was discussed to determine how reliable the models are over this temperature range.     

More accurate X-ray scattering data of deeply supercooled bulk liquid water

Deeply supercooled water droplets held containerless in an acoustic levitator are investigated with high-energy X-ray scattering. The temperature dependence of the X-ray structure function is found to be nonlinear. Comparison with two popular computer models reveals that structural changes are predicted too abrupt by the TIP5P-E model, while the rate of change predicted by TIP4P-Ew is in much better agreement with experiment. The abrupt structural changes, predicted by the TIP5P-E model to occur in the temperature range between 260 and 240?K as water approaches the homogeneous nucleation limit, are unrealistic. Both models underestimate the distance between neighbouring oxygen atoms and overestimate the sharpness of the OO distance distribution.     

Effect of short and long range forces on the thermodynamic properties of water. A simple short range reference system

Three realistic potential models of water, the non-polarizable ST2 and TIP4P models, and the polarizable TIP4P/P model, were used in computer simulations to study the effect of the range of intermolecular interactions on the thermodynamic properties of water. Following the results of recent studies, a short range system is constructed to the full pair potential u(1,2) in such a way that a perturbation expansion can be formulated in powers of the dipole-dipole interaction only. Computations of low density properties and computer simulations performed for several densities on three subcritical and one supercritical isotherms show that the short range reference not only reproduces the structure but approximates also the internal energy and pressure of water surprisingly well. Differences in the internal energy between the full and short range water do not exceed 5% for all models used over the entire range of the thermodynamic conditions considered.     

The dynamics of water hexamer isomerization

The dynamics of water hexamer isomerization was analyzed by classic molecular dynamics using TIP4P and TIP5P empirical interaction potentials. Periodic jump transitions between structural isomers occurred as the internal energy of the cluster grew. Structures prevailing over the energy intervals corresponding to the quasi-liquid and quasi-solid cluster phases were determined. The lifetimes of structural isomers were found.     

Water and other tetrahedral liquids: order, anomalies and solvation

In order to understand the common features of tetrahedral liquids with water-like anomalies, the relationship between local order and anomalies has been studied using molecular dynamics simulations for three categories of such liquids: (a)?atomistic rigid-body models for water (TIP4P, TIP4P/2005, mTIP3P, SPC/E), (b)?ionic melts, BeF(2) (TRIM model) and SiO(2) (BKS potential) and (c)?Stillinger-Weber liquids parametrized to model water (mW) and silicon. Rigid-body, atomistic models for water and the Stillinger-Weber liquids show a strong correlation between tetrahedral and pair correlation order and the temperature for the onset of the density anomaly is close to the melting temperature. In contrast, the ionic melts show weaker and more variable degrees of correlation between tetrahedral and pair correlation metrics, and the onset temperature for the density anomaly is more than twice the melting temperature. In the case of water, the relationship between water-like anomalies and solvation is studied by examining the hydration of spherical solutes (Na(+), Cl(-), Ar) in water models with different temperature regimes of anomalies (SPC/E, TIP4P and mTIP3P). For both ionic and nonpolar solutes, the local structure and energy of water molecules is essentially the same as in bulk water beyond the second-neighbour shell. The local order and binding energy of water molecules are not perturbed by the presence of a hydrophobic solute. In the case of ionic solutes, the perturbation is largely localized within the first hydration shell. The binding energies for the ions are strongly dependent on the water models and clearly indicate that the geometry of the partial charge distributions, and the associated multipole moments, play an important role. However the anomalous behaviour of the water network has been found to be unimportant for polar solvation.     

Molecular dynamics computation of the work of ion solvation: comparison of two models of water

Clusters of the TIP4P water model with 125 and 256 molecules and with the K⁺ or K^? ions were simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The radial profiles of local density, energy, normal pressure and molecular orientation were obtained. The work of cluster formation was calculated from the normal pressure profile. The results for the TIP4P and SPC/E model of water are discussed in comparison with each other. A divergence in behaviour of water molecules in the two models was discovered.     

Structure of supercooled water in clusters and bulk and its relation to the two-state picture of water: Results from the TIP4P-ice model

The structure of water clusters (H₂O)_n (n = 40 -200) and bulk water were examined by molecular dynamics simulations using the TIP4P-ice water model. The analysis of the low-temperature structures in terms of the local structure index (LSI) showed a bimodal distribution. This finding supports the two-state picture derived from the analysis of the inherent dynamics of bulk SPC/E water. The water molecules at the outer interface of the coldest clusters are more structured than those in the inner core. The geometrical constraint of the interface forces the surface molecules to lose one neighbor and adopt a local angular distribution of hydrogen bonds resembling that found in the basal plane of ice Ih.     

Application of Statistical Physics to Understand Static and Dynamic Anomalies in Liquid Water

We present an overview of recent research applying ideas of statistical mechanics to try to better understand the statics and especially the dynamic puzzles regarding liquid water. We discuss recent molecular dynamics simulations using the Mahoney–Jorgensen transferable intermolecular potential with five points (TIP5P), which is closer to real water than previously-proposed classical pairwise additive potentials. Simulations of the TIP5P model for a wide range of deeply supercooled states, including both positive and negative pressures, reveal (i) the existence of a non-monotonic temperature of maximum density line and a non-reentrant spinodal, (ii) the presence of a low-temperature phase transition. The take-home message for the static aspects is that what seems to matter more than previously appreciated is local tetrahedral order, so that liquid water has features in common with SiO₂ and P, as well as perhaps Si and C. To better understand dynamic aspects of water, we focus on the role of the number of diffusive directions in the potential energy landscape. What seems to matter most is not values of thermodynamic parameters such as temperature T and pressure P, but only the value of a parameter characterizing the potential energy landscape—just as near a critical point what matters is not the values of T and P but rather the values of the correlation length.     

Dynamical Fracture in Ice Ih as Modeled by TIP4P/Ice and mW Water Potentials

Fracture in ice I_h is simulated with molecular dynamics utilizing two potential fields, TIP4P/Ice and mW, and in different temperature conditions. The simulations produce propagating crack speeds over a large range of fracture energies. Terminal crack speed simulated with TIP4P/Ice potential can reach more than 200 m/s befitting experimental results. On the other hand, for mW potential, crack speed is around 5 m/s. The TIP4P/ice model suggests a brittle ice while mW potential describes a much more ductile material. The computational simulations are designed to permit direct comparison with experiments which can be performed in the hereafter. This comparison could provide a sensitive test to interatomic potentials.     

Atomistic simulations of liquid water using Lekner electrostatics

Equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for liquid water using three different potential models in the NVT and NPT ensembles. The flexible SPC model, the rigid TIP4P model and the rigid/polarizable TIP4P-FQ potential were studied. The Lekner method was used to handle long range electrostatic interactions, and an efficient trivariate cubic spline interpolation method was devised for this purpose. A partitioning of the electrostatic interactions into medium and long range parts was performed, and the concomitant use of multiple timestep techniques led to substantially enhanced computation speeds. The simulations were carried out using 256 molecules in the NVT ensemble at 25°C and 997 kg m^?3 and in the NPT ensemble at 25°C and 1 bar. Various dynamic, structural, dielectric, rotational and thermodynamic properties were calculated, and it was found that the simulation methodologies performed satisfactorily vis-à-vis previous simulation results and experimental observations.     

Effect of a thermal factor on the concentration-structure ordering in ion-plasma W-Ti-B condensates

Small-angle X-ray scattering is used to study the effect of deposition and annealing conditions on the concentration-structure ordering in ion-plasma W-Ti-B condensates. At a relatively low condensation temperature of a solid solution (up to T _c = 770 K), the formed modulated structure has a uniform volume distribution of its structural elements. A stage-by-stage transition from a volume-modulated to a two-dimensional modulated structure is revealed when the condensation temperature increases from 570 to 1170 K. As the annealing time of the metastable postcondensation state of an ion-plasma condensate increases, the diffusion mobility of metallic atoms (W, Ti) decreases upon the formation of a modulated ordered structure. The action of a radiation factor in a three-electrode ion sputtering scheme enhances the concentration phase separation in a condensate, decreases the transition temperature, and stimulates an increase in concentration ordering wavelength λ_od.     

Hydration of apolar solutes of varying size: a systematic study

We report results of a systematic and extensive study on the orientational structure of water molecules in the vicinity of apolar solutes of varying size in infinitely diluted aqueous solutions at ambient conditions. A wide range of sizes of the solute, modelled as a Lennard–Jones particle, has been considered including also the limiting case of a smooth planar wall (i.e. a solute of an infinite diameter). Both the bivariate and monovariate angle distributions are used to describe the orientation of water molecules. It is demonstrated that the commonly used latter method may lead to misleading or even erroneous conclusions. It is found that all three considered models of water, SPC/E, TIP4P and TIP5P, exhibit, unlike some simplified models, qualitatively the same behaviour, i.e. with increasing size of the solute only the water molecules in closest proximity of the solute adopt orientations which sacrifice a possible hydrogen bond, whereas the preferred orientation of water molecules farther from the surface, but yet belonging to the first solvation shell, is independent of the solute size.     

Structural and dynamical properties of water confined between two hydrophilic surfaces

The properties of water in the vicinity of surfaces and under confinement have been extensively studied because of the relevance of a quantitative understanding of many processes that not only take place in biological systems, like cells, membranes and microemulsions, but also in many others such as confined water in rocks, ionic channels and interestellar matter. In this work we perform molecular dynamic calculations of the nanoscopic structure of TIP5P model water confined between two hydrophilic surfaces. We calculate the diffusion coefficients and the atomic density profile of water molecules and polar ions in the system as a function of the number of water molecules per amphiphilic (n_W). We also study the dependence of the water layer thickness and the profiles of water dipole orientation with this parameter.     

Calculation of the vapour-liquid coexistence curve for a fluctuating point charge water model

Recent studies of the phase behaviour of several polarizable water models have shown that typically the inclusion of polarizability into current non-polarizable, rigid models of water actually decreases the accuracy of their predictions of the liquid-vapour coexistence curve. Most of the polarizable models examined so far have been shown to characteristically over-predict the saturation pressure and correspondingly under-predict the critical temperature. It is the purpose of this Research Note to report the results of a Gibbs—Duhem integration of the liquid—vapour coexistence curve for the TIP4P-FQ water model and to discuss the possible reasons behind the lack of improvement of polarizable water models over their non-polarizable counterparts.     

Study of thin Ge films with amorphous and nanocrystalline phases via the techniques of EXAFS spectroscopy and AFM

The local atomic structure and surface morphology of thin semiconductor films of Ge have been studied via extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The films have been obtained by thermal evaporation of a material in an ultrahigh vacuum at different substrate temperatures. The films contain both amorphous and nanocrystalline phases. The percentage of the phases depends on the condensation temperature. The classical linear dependence of grain sizes on condensation temperature T is violated at T=100°C.     

Structure and dynamics of liquid MgO under high pressure

Microstructure, dynamics, and diffusion mechanism in liquid MgO have been studied by molecular dynamics simulation. Models consisting of 2000 atoms were constructed under a wide range of pressure and at a temperature of 3800 K. The local structure is analyzed through the coordination number distribution and topology statistics of coordination units (basic structural units) MgO _x (x=2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). As regards the structural dynamics, the nearest-neighbor atomic exchange among coordination units, spatially heterogeneous dynamics, clustering, and structural stability (lifetime of basic structural units) are investigated in detail. Investigation of structural dynamics allows us to gain insight into various important atomic (molecular) properties and to clarify the diffusion mechanism in liquid MgO under high pressure.     

Local density variation of gold nanoparticles in aquatic environments

Gold (Au) nanoparticles are widely used in diagnosing cancer, imaging, and identification of therapeutic methods due to their particular quantum characteristics. This research presents different types of aqueous models and potentials used in TIP3P, to study the effect of the particle size and density of Au clusters in aquatic environments; so it can be useful to facilitate future investigation of the interaction of proteins with Au nanoparticles. The EAM potential is used to model the structure of gold clusters. It is observed that in the systems with identical gold/water density and different cluster radii, gold particles are distributed in aqueous environment almost identically. Thus, Au particles have identical local densities, and the root mean square displacement (RMSD) increases with a constant slope. However in systems with constant cluster radii and different gold/water densities, Au particle dispersion increases with density; as a result, the local density decreases and the RMSD increases with a larger slope. In such systems, the larger densities result in more blunted second peaks in gold–gold radial distribution functions, owing to more intermixing of the clusters and less FCC crystalline features at longer range, a mechanism that is mediated by the competing effects of gold–water and gold–gold interactions.     

Density and bond-orientational relaxations in supercooled water

ABSTRACT

Recent computational studies have reported evidence of a metastable liquid–liquid phase transition (LLPT) in molecular models of water under deeply supercooled conditions. A competing hypothesis suggests, however, that non-equilibrium artefacts associated with coarsening of the stable crystal phase have been mistaken for an LLPT in these models. Such artefacts are posited to arise due to a separation of time scales in which density fluctuations in the supercooled liquid relax orders of magnitude faster than those associated with bond-orientational order. Here, we use molecular simulation to investigate the relaxation of density and bond-orientational fluctuations in three molecular models of water (ST2, TIP5P and TIP4P/2005) in the vicinity of their reported LLPT. For each model, we find that density is the slowly relaxing variable under such conditions. We also observe similar behaviour in the coarse-grained mW model of water. Our findings, therefore, challenge the key physical assumption underlying the competing hypothesis.