Analysis of binary adsorption of polar and nonpolar molecules in narrow slit-pores by mean-field perturbation theory

In the present research study, we present the development of a model for predicting the adsorption of binary mixtures of nonpolar molecules, as well as polar molecules, based on density functional theory with mean-field approximation in narrow slit-pores. The first system under consideration is comprised of a binary mixture of nonpolar molecules, modeled by considering intermolecular dispersion forces, whereas the second system comprised of a binary mixture of polar molecules is modeled by considering orientation averaged electrostatic interactions, namely dipole-dipole and dipole-induced dipole interactions as well as dispersion interactions. An explicit equation for the Helmholtz free energy of the pore phase binary fluid mixture is derived. The proposed model is used to simulate the selective sorption of ethane from an ethane-methane mixture and water from a methanol-water mixture in the slit-pore. The simulated results are interpreted by studying the relative contributions of fluid-wall and fluid-fluid interactions. Finally, simulation results obtained are compared with the results of existing models and molecular simulations in the literature.     

Modeling high-pressure adsorption of gas mixtures on activated carbon and coal using a simplified local-density model

The simplified local-density (SLD) theory was investigated regarding its ability to provide accurate representations and predictions of high-pressure supercritical adsorption isotherms encountered in coalbed methane (CBM) recovery and CO2 sequestration. Attention was focused on the ability of the SLD theory to predict mixed-gas adsorption solely on the basis of information from pure gas isotherms using a modified Peng-Robinson (PR) equation of state (EOS). An extensive set of high-pressure adsorption measurements was used in this evaluation. These measurements included pure and binary mixture adsorption measurements for several gas compositions up to 14 MPa for Calgon F-400 activated carbon and three water-moistened coals. Also included were ternary measurements for the activated carbon and one coal. For the adsorption of methane, nitrogen, and CO2 on dry activated carbon, the SLD-PR can predict the component mixture adsorption within about 2.2 times the experimental uncertainty on average solely on the basis of pure-component adsorption isotherms. For the adsorption of methane, nitrogen, and CO2 on two of the three wet coals, the SLD-PR model can predict the component adsorption within the experimental uncertainties on average for all feed fractions (nominally molar compositions of 20/80, 40/60, 60/40, and 80/20) of the three binary gas mixture combinations, although predictions for some specific feed fractions are outside of their experimental uncertainties.     

Effect of air humidity on the removal of carbon tetrachloride from air using Cu-BTC metal-organic framework

We have used interatomic potential-based simulations to study the removal of carbon tetrachloride from air at 298 K, using Cu-BTC metal organic framework. We have developed new sets of Lennard-Jones parameters that accurately describe the vapour-liquid equilibrium curves of carbon tetrachloride and the main components from air (oxygen, nitrogen, and argon). Using these parameters we performed Monte Carlo simulations for the following systems: (a) single component adsorption of carbon tetrachloride, oxygen, nitrogen, and argon molecules, (b) binary Ar/CCl(4), O(2)/CCl(4), and N(2)/CCl(4) mixtures with bulk gas compositions 99?:?1 and 99.9?:?0.1, (c) ternary O(2)/N(2)/Ar mixtures with both, equimolar and 21?:?78?:?1 bulk gas composition, (d) quaternary mixture formed by 0.1% of CCl(4) pollutant, 20.979% O(2), 77.922% N(2), and 0.999% Ar, and (e) five-component mixtures corresponding to 0.1% of CCl(4) pollutant in air with relative humidity ranging from 0 to 100%. The carbon tetrachloride adsorption selectivity and the self-diffusivity and preferential sitting of the different molecules in the structure are studied for all the systems.     

Effects of molecular siting and adsorbent heterogeneity on the ideality of adsorption equilibria

The ideal adsorbed solution (IAS) theory is the benchmark for the prediction of mixed-gas adsorption equilibria from pure-component isotherms. In this work, we use atomistic grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations to test the effects of molecular siting and adsorbent energetic heterogeneity on the applicability of the IAS theory. Pure-component isotherms generated by atomistic simulation are used to predict binary isobaric isotherms using the IAS theory. These predicted isotherms are compared with those obtained by a full atomistic simulation of the binary mixture. Binary mixtures of argon, methane, and CF4 in silicalite are found to obey IAS theory, while benzene/methane and cyclohexane/methane in silicalite are nonideal. The mixture of argon and CF4 is ideal despite the large difference in the sizes of the two species. This contradicts previous hypotheses in the literature, which state that mixtures of species of unequal size do not adsorb ideally. The nonideal behavior of the benzene/methane and cyclohexane/methane systems occurs because of adsorbent heterogeneity in these systems, which depends on both sorbent and sorbate. In addition, we use a lattice gas model with parameters derived from atomistic simulation to demonstrate analytically that a sufficiently energetically heterogeneous adsorbent will result in the breakdown of IAS theory even in the absence of interactions between sorbates.     

Computer simulations of adsorption and diffusion for binary mixtures of methane and hydrogen in titanosilicates

Equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of equimolar mixtures of hydrogen and methane were performed in three different titanosilicates: naturally occurring zorite and two synthetic titanosilicates, ETS-4 and ETS-10. In addition, single-component MD simulations and adsorption isotherms generated using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations were performed to support the mixture simulations. The goal of this study was to determine the best membrane material to carry out hydrogen/methane separations. ETS-10 has a three-dimensional pore network. ETS-4 and zorite have two-dimensional pore networks. The simulations carried out in this study show that the increased porosity of ETS-10 results in self-diffusion coefficients for both hydrogen and methane that are higher in ETS-10 than in either ETS-4 or zorite. Methane only showed appreciable displacement in ETS-10. The ability of the methane molecules to move in all three directions in ETS-10 was demonstrated by the high degree of isotropy shown in the values of the x, y, and z components of the self-diffusion coefficient for methane in ETS-10. From our simulations we conclude that ETS-10 would be better suited for fast industrial separations of hydrogen and methane. However, the separation would not result in a pure hydrogen stream. In contrast, ETS-4 and zorite would act as true molecular sieves for separations of hydrogen and methane, as the methane would not move through membranes made of these materials. This was indicated by the near-zero self-diffusion coefficient of methane in ETS-4 and zorite.     

Hydrogen adsorption in a highly stable porous rare-earth metal-organic framework: sorption properties and neutron diffraction studies

A highly stable porous lanthanide metal-organic framework, Y(BTC)(H2O).4.3H2O (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate), with pore size of 5.8 A has been constructed and investigated for hydrogen storage. Gas sorption measurements show that this porous MOF exhibits highly selective sorption behaviors of hydrogen over nitrogen gas molecules and can take up hydrogen of about 2.1 wt % at 77 K and 10 bar. Difference Fourier analysis of neutron powder diffraction data revealed four distinct D2 sites that are progressively filled within the nanoporous framework. Interestingly, the strongest adsorption sites identified are associated with the aromatic organic linkers rather than the open metal sites, as occurred in previously reported MOFs. Our results provide for the first time direct structural evidence demonstrating that optimal pore size (around 6 A, twice the kinetic diameter of hydrogen) strengthens the interactions between H2 molecules and pore walls and increases the heat of adsorption, which thus allows for enhancing hydrogen adsorption from the interaction between hydrogen molecules with the pore walls rather than with the normally stronger adsorption sites (the open metal sites) within the framework. At high concentration H2 loadings (5.5 H2 molecules (3.7 wt %) per Y(BTC) formula), H2 molecules form highly symmetric novel nanoclusters with relatively short H2-H2 distances compared to solid H2. These observations are important and hold the key to optimizing this new class of rare metal-organic framework (RMOF) materials for practical hydrogen storage applications.     

Computational Study of Adsorption and Separation of CO(2), CH(4), and N(2) by an rht-Type Metal-Organic Framework

In this work, a computational study is performed to evaluate the adsorption-based separation of CO(2) from flue gas (mixtures of CO(2) and N(2)) and natural gas (mixtures of CO(2) and CH(4)) using microporous metal organic framework Cu-TDPAT as a sorbent material. The results show that electrostatic interactions can greatly enhance the separation efficiency of this MOF for gas mixtures of different components. Furthermore, the study also suggests that Cu-TDPAT is a promising material for the separation of CO(2) from N(2) and CH(4), and its macroscopic separation behavior can be elucidated on a molecular level to give insight into the underlying mechanisms. On the basis of the single-component CO(2), N(2), and CH(4) isotherms, binary mixture adsorption (CO(2)/N(2) and CO(2)/CH(4)) and ternary mixture adsorption (CO(2)/N(2)/CH(4)) were predicted using the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST). The effect of H(2)O vapor on the CO(2) adsorption selectivity and capacity was also examined. The applicability of IAST to this system was validated by performing GCMC simulations for both single-component and mixture adsorption processes.     

Computer simulation of the adsorption of methane, nitrogen, and mixtures thereof in pores of a lamellar carbon adsorbent

The Monte Carlo method in conjunction with the grand canonical ensemble was used to calculate the isotherms of adsorption of methane, nitrogen, and mixtures thereof in 1.34 × 3.02-nm rectangular-cross-section and 2.35 × 2.35-nm square pores in a lamellar carbon adsorbent. The phase diagrams of adsorbed methane were plotted, and the characteristics of the phases of the adsorbate were described. Modeling the adsorption of the binary mixture demonstrated that the square carbon pore is more selective with respect to methane.     

Molecular insight into the high selectivity of double-walled carbon nanotubes

Combining experimental knowledge with molecular simulations, we investigated the adsorption and separation properties of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) against flue/synthetic gas mixture components (e.g. CO(2), CO, N(2), H(2), O(2), and CH(4)) at 300 K. Except molecular H(2), all studied nonpolar adsorbates assemble into single-file chain structures inside DWNTs at operating pressures below 1 MPa. Molecular wires of adsorbed molecules are stabilized by the strong solid-fluid potential generated from the cylindrical carbon walls. CO(2) assembly is formed at very low operating pressures in comparison to all other studied nonpolar adsorbates. The adsorption lock-and-key mechanism results from perfect fitting of rod-shaped CO(2) molecules into the cylindrical carbon pores. The enthalpy of CO(2) adsorption in DWNTs is very high and reaches 50 kJ mol(-1) at 300 K and low pore concentrations. In contrast, adsorption enthalpy at zero coverage is significantly lower for all other studied nonpolar adsorbates, for instance: 35 kJ mol(-1) for CH(4), and 14 kJ mol(-1) for H(2). Applying the ideal adsorption solution theory, we predicted that the internal pores of DWNTs have unusual ability to differentiate CO(2) molecules from other flue/synthetic gas mixture components (e.g. CO, N(2), H(2), O(2), and CH(4)) at ambient operating conditions. Computed equilibrium selectivity for equimolar CO(2)-X binary mixtures (where X: CO, N(2), H(2), O(2), and CH(4)) is very high at low mixture pressures. With an increase in binary mixture pressure, we predicted a decrease in equilibrium separation factor because of the competitive adsorption of the X binary mixture component. We showed that at 300 K and equimolar mixture pressures up to 1 MPa, the CO(2)-X equilibrium separation factor is higher than 10 for all studied binary mixtures, indicating strong preference for CO(2) adsorption. The overall selective properties of DWNTs seem to be superior, which may be beneficial for potential industrial applications of these novel carbon nanostructures.     

A Metal–Organic Framework with a Pore Size/Shape Suitable for Strong Binding and Close Packing of Methane

Much effort has been devoted to develop new porous structures for methane storage. We report a new porous coordination framework showing exceptional methane uptakes (e.g. 263 v/v at 298 K and 65 bar) and adsorption enthalpies (21.6 kJ mol^?1) as high as current record holders functionalized by open metal sites. Computational simulations demonstrated that the hierarchical pore structure consisting of single‐wall nanocages has suitable sizes/shapes and organic binding sites to enforce not only strong host–methane and methane–methane interactions but also dense packing of methane molecules.     

烷烃混合物在Cu-BTC中的吸附与分离

用巨正则系综Monte Carlo (GCMC)和构型导向Monte Carlo (CBMC)相结合的方法模拟了298 K下甲烷-乙烷-丙烷体系以及正丁烷-异丁烷体系在1,3,5-苯三甲酸铜(II) (Cu-BTC)中的吸附行为. 结果表明, Cu-BTC对丙烷以及异丁烷的吸附分离都有较好的选择性. 通过我们发展的“材料剖面成像”方法研究了烷烃混合物在Cu-BTC中不同压力下的吸附位点, 从而进一步分析了烷烃混合物在Cu-BTC中的分离性能. 结果发现, 在吸附过程中主要存在着两种效应, 即能量效应和尺寸效应的竞争. 在甲烷-乙烷-丙烷体系中, 较高压力下, 由于尺寸效应的影响, 丙烷主要吸附在主孔道中, 而对甲烷和乙烷组分, 能量效应占主导地位, 从而导致乙烷主要吸附在四面体孔内, 甲烷则主要吸附在三角形孔窗外. 在正丁烷-异丁烷体系中, 能量效应起主导作用, 从而使异丁烷主要吸附在四面体孔内, 而正丁烷主要吸附在主孔道中.     

Gas adsorption in active carbons and the slit-pore model 2: Mixture adsorption prediction with DFT and IAST

We use a fast density functional theory (a "slab-DFT") and the polydisperse independent ideal slit-pore model to predict gas mixture adsorption in active carbons. The DFT is parametrized by fitting to pure gas isotherms generated by Monte Carlo simulation of adsorption in model graphitic slit-pores. Accurate gas molecular models are used in our Monte Carlo simulations with gas-surface interactions calibrated to a high surface area carbon, rather than a low surface area carbon as in all previous work of this type, as described in part 1 of this work. We predict the adsorption of binary mixtures of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen on two active carbons up to about 30 bar at near-ambient temperatures. We compare two sets of results; one set obtained using only the pure carbon dioxide adsorption isotherm as input to our pore characterization process, and the other obtained using both pure gas isotherms as input. We also compare these results with ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST). We find that our methods are at least as accurate as IAST for these relatively simple gas mixtures and have the advantage of much greater versatility. We expect similar results for other active carbons and further performance gains for less ideal mixtures.     

Heats of adsorption and adsorption heterogeneity for methane, ethane, and carbon dioxide in MCM-41

We report the adsorption isotherms and the isosteric heats of adsorption of pure methane, ethane, and CO2 and a mixture of methane and CO2 in the periodic mesoporous silica MCM-41 using a multicomponent adsorption calorimeter of the Tian-Calvet type, looking in particular at the degree of heterogeneity in the adsorption of these species. The adsorption of methane and ethane in MCM-41 was found to be essentially homogeneous, while the adsorption of pure CO2 and of CO2 from a CO2/methane mixture was found to be significantly heterogeneous, reflecting the electrostatic interactions between CO2 and the adsorbent.     

Isothermalisobaric molecular dynamics simulation of diatomic liquids and their mixtures

Isothermalisobaric ensemble molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for systems of two-center Lennard-Jones molecules for pure fluids as well as binary mixtures. The results obtained from various ensemble averages have been compared for pure fluid simulations of Lennard-Jones model diatomic fluids. The excess enthalpy and excess volume of three equimolar mixtures (argonnitrogen, argonoxygen, and nitrogenoxygen) have been calculated and compared with values obtained from previous NVT molecular dynamics and perturbation theory. Pair distribution functions obtained from various methods are compared for the equimolar mixture of nitrogen and oxygen and used to study the effect of attractive forces on the local structure. For four other systems (argonethane, methaneethane, carbon disulfidecarbon tetrachloride, and carbon disulfidetetrachloroethylene), excess enthalpies and excess volumes from NPT simulations are used to test the ability of perturbation theory to predict these properties and are also compared with experimental data. The comparison of simulation and experiment clearly shows the need to improve the available parameters for cross interactions in binary mixtures.     

The fundamentals of adsorption theory for a mixture of bulky molecules in slit-shaped pores with heterogeneous wall surfaces

The fundamentals of the adsorption theory for a mixture of bulky molecules blocking more than one adsorption site on the surface in slit-shaped pores with heterogeneous wall surfaces are outlined. The adsorbate—adsorbate lateral interactions are taken into account in the quasi-chemical approximation and in the mean-field approximation. The expressions for the partial adsorption isotherms and for the binary coefficients of mixture separation and the way of isolation of the partial contributions of molecules on heterogeneous adsorption sites on pore walls are discussed. A simplified variant of adsorption theory for a binary mixture of molecules of different sizes in two-layer pores with the assumption of complete coverage of the pores is considered. The influence of the energy of binding of molecules to pore walls, lateral interactions, and the ratio of the component sizes on the shape of adsorption isotherms is analyzed. The results of calculations are compared with the experimental data for the benzene—CCl₄—microporous AC carbon adsorbent system.     

A modification of the Doong-Yang model for gas mixture adsorption using the lewis relationship

The Doong-Yang model, which is used for predicting gas mixture adsorption equilibrium from pure-component isotherms of the Dubinin type, is modified by incorporating the Lewis relationship. The modified model is tested against experimental data for four binary systems, including a like-component (or nearly ideal) mixture, CH(4) + C(2)H(6), a moderately nonideal mixture, CO(2) + C(2)H(4), and two highly nonideal mixtures, CO(2) + C(3)H(8) and CO(2) + H(2)O. Comparisons are made with the ideal adsorbed solution (IAS) theory and the Bering model. Results show that the proposed model is the best for the like-component mixture and the moderately nonideal mixture. In contrast, for the highly nonideal mixtures, the original Doong-Yang model is the only one among the four models that can predict CO(2) + C(3)H(8) adsorption correctly. The IAS theory and the Bering model have similar predictions and are suitable only for like-component mixtures. The new model requires a simple numerical iteration but is easy to use; no new parameters are required. Theoretical reasons are given for the fact that the original Doong-Yang model is best for nonideal mixtures, whereas the modified Doong-Yang model is best for ideal mixtures.     

甲烷与含氮有机杂环化合物吸附作用的DFT研究

根据煤中氮的存在形式,提炼出11种具有不同杂化方式及含氮量的有机环状化合物.应用密度泛函理论(DFT)模拟方法对甲烷在这11种含氮化合物上的吸附模型进行结构优化,并结合吸附能、电荷分布及静电势能面的分析,从微观角度考察了甲烷与这些化合物之间的相互作用.计算结果表明:甲烷与含氮化合物的相互作用能在3.81-6.82kJ·mol-1范围内,且通过氢键和静电力相互作用;当化合物中氮的杂化方式为sp2时,其与甲烷的作用能大于sp3杂化方式的;当化合物中的氮含量增加时,可以提供更多的甲烷吸附位点.     

Capillary condensation and adsorption of binary mixtures

The adsorption of equimolar binary mixtures of hydrogen-carbon dioxide, hydrogen-methane, and methane-carbon dioxide in porous material models is determined by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. The material models have an adsorbent surface similar to that of nanofibers with a herringbone structure. Our main result, which is relevant for hydrogen purification and carbon dioxide capture, is that the adsorption selectivities calculated for the mixtures can differ significantly from those deduced from simulations of the adsorption of pure gases, in particular, when one of the adsorbed gases presents a capillary condensation induced by confinement within the pore network. A comparison of our data is also made with theoretical models used in the literature for predicting the properties of the mixture adsorption.     

Molecular simulation study of adsorption and diffusion on silicalite for a benzene/CO2 mixture

The adsorption and diffusion of a binary mixture of supercritical CO2 and benzene on silicalite (MFI-type) have been studied through the grand canonical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The adsorption behavior of pure CO2 on silicalite was discussed in detail from the adsorption isotherms, adsorption sites, interaction energies, and isosteric heats of adsorption. For the mixture, the influences of temperature, pressure and composition on the adsorption isotherms have been examined. The adsorption site behavior of the mixture has been analyzed, and benzene molecules get adsorbed preferentially in the more spacious channel intersection positions. These simulation results suggest that SC-CO2 fluid can be used as an efficient desorbent of larger aromatics in the zeolite material. The diffusion characteristic for the benzene/CO2 mixture was studied on the basis of MD simulation. It was found that the large coadsorbed benzene molecule has a pronounced effect on the CO2 diffusion in the mixture, while the mobility of benzene molecules is very small due to geometrical restrictions.