Geometrical cluster ensemble analysis of random sphere packings

We introduce a geometric analysis of random sphere packings based on the ensemble averaging of hard-sphere clusters generated via local rules including a nonoverlap constraint for hard spheres. Our cluster ensemble analysis matches well with computer simulations and experimental data on random hard-sphere packing with respect to volume fractions and radial distribution functions. To model loose as well as dense sphere packings various ensemble averages are investigated, obtained by varying the generation rules for clusters. Essential findings are a lower bound on volume fraction for random loose packing that is surprisingly close to the freezing volume fraction for hard spheres and, for random close packing, the observation of an unexpected split peak in the distribution of volume fractions for the local configurations. Our ensemble analysis highlights the importance of collective and global effects in random sphere packings by comparing clusters generated via local rules to random sphere packings and clusters that include collective effects.     

Prepeak in the structural factor. Inhomogeneous packings of Lennard-Jones atoms

This work reports on the effects of structural inhomogeneities within the models of spherical atomic packings on the radial distribution function (RDF) and the structural factor (SF). Models of inhomogeneous packings were constructed by removing some atoms from homogeneous packing according to a predetermined template. Thus various additional voids, leading to specific structural correlations of atoms on a middle scale (several atomic sizes), are introduced in the model. A dense noncrystalline packing of 27,000 Lennard-Jones atoms serves as the initial system. Three various templates were used, and models containing different fractions of additional voids were constructed with each of these templates. It is demonstrated that RDF is only slightly sensitive to such inhomogeneities; in contrast, the SF has additional peaks at small q, these peaks being notable even after removal of a small fraction of atoms. Some models yield a single narrow prepeak, which is akin to that observed in diffraction experiment for some glasses.     

Radial distribution function of freely jointed hard-sphere chains in the solid phase

Monte Carlo simulation is used to generate the radial distribution function of freely jointed tangent-bonded hard-sphere chains in the disordered solid phase for chain lengths of three, four, six, and eight segments. The data are used to create an accurate analytical expression of the total radial distribution function of the hard-sphere chains that covers a density range from the solidification point up to a packing fraction of 0.71. It is envisioned that the correlation will help further progress toward molecular thermodynamic treatment of the solid phase in general and toward perturbed chain theories for the solid phase, in particular.     

Structural precursor to freezing: an integral equation study

Recent simulation studies have drawn attention to the shoulder which forms in the second peak of the radial distribution function of hard spheres at densities close to freezing and which is associated with local crystalline ordering in the dense fluid. We address this structural precursor to freezing using an inhomogeneous integral equation theory capable of describing local packing constraints to a high level of accuracy. The addition of a short-range attractive interaction leads to a well known broadening of the fluid-solid coexistence region as a function of attraction strength. The appearance of a shoulder in our calculated radial distribution functions is found to be consistent with the broadened coexistence region for a simple model potential, thus demonstrating that the shoulder is not exclusively a high density packing effect.     

Contact values of the particle-particle and wall-particle correlation functions in a hard-sphere polydisperse fluid

The contact values g(sigma,sigma') of the radial distribution functions of a fluid of (additive) hard spheres with a given size distribution f(sigma) are considered. A "universality" assumption is introduced, according to which, at a given packing fraction eta,g(sigma,sigma')=G(z(sigma,sigma')), where G is a common function independent of the number of components (either finite or infinite) and z(sigma,sigma')=[2sigmasigma'/(sigma+sigma')]mu2/mu3 is a dimensionless parameter, mu n being the nth moment of the diameter distribution. A cubic form proposal for the z dependence of G is made and known exact consistency conditions for the point particle and equal size limits, as well as between two different routes to compute the pressure of the system in the presence of a hard wall, are used to express Gz in terms of the radial distribution at contact of the one-component system. For polydisperse systems we compare the contact values of the wall-particle correlation function and the compressibility factor with those obtained from recent Monte Carlo simulations.     

Ammonia absorption into water in a packed tower I: Characterization of packing and liquid distribution

Pressure loss, holdup and liquid distribution were measured for a standard 10 mm glass Raschig ring packing. The first two characteristics showed gener However, the actual holdup values and the loading and flooding zones were significantly lower than those expected for nominally similar packing. These of packing which caused variations in mass transfer coefficients due to the existence of different dry or inactive areas in nominally similar packings.The flow distribution was shown to be statistical in nature in agreement with the rivulet flow model. At the top of the packing, the radial distributio of 12 – 15 column diameters, the liquid flow distribution became constant and was predominantly at the wall. The main flow in the bulk of the packing distribution. Any increase in liquid flow was carried in existing rivulets since the number density increased very slightly with increasing liquid flow     

RADIAL DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION OF cis-1,4-POLYBUTADIENE BY ELECTRON DIFFRACTION

The interatomic distance function of rareearth catalyzed cis-1,4-polybutadiene was studied by" radial distribution function (RDF) derived from electron diffraction. Two intramolecular peaks and three interrnolecular peaks have been found on the RDF. The appearance of such a number of intermolecular maxima on the RDF can be explained by the local parallel packing of long molecular chains of the amorphous polymers.     

How "sticky" are short-range square-well fluids?

The aim of this work is to investigate to what extent the structural properties of a short-range square-well (SW) fluid of range lambda at a given packing fraction eta and reduced temperature T* = kBT/epsilon can be represented by those of a sticky-hard-sphere (SHS) fluid at the same packing fraction and an effective stickiness parameter tau(T*,lambda). Such an equivalence cannot hold for the radial distribution function g(r) since this function has a delta singularity at contact (r = sigma) in the SHS case, while it has a jump discontinuity at r = lambda sigma in the SW case. Therefore, the equivalence is explored with the cavity function y(r), i.e., we assume that [formula: see text]. Optimization of the agreement between y(SW) and y(SHS) to first order in density suggests the choice tau(T*,lambda) = [12(e(1/T* - 1)(lambda - 1)](-1). We have performed Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the SW fluid for lambda = 1.05, 1.02, and 1.01 at several densities and temperatures T* such that tau(T*,lambda) = 0.13, 0.2, and 0.5. The resulting cavity functions have been compared with MC data of SHS fluids obtained by Miller and Frenkel[J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 16, S4901 (2004)]. Although, at given values of eta and tau, some local discrepancies between y(SW) and y(SHS) exist (especially for lambda = 1.05), the SW data converge smoothly toward the SHS values as lambda-1 decreases. In fact, precursors of the singularities of y(SHS) at certain distances due to geometrical arrangements are clearly observed in y(SW). The approximate mapping y(SW)-->y(SHS) is exploited to estimate the internal energy and structure factor of the SW fluid from those of the SHS fluid. Taking for y(SHS) the solution of the Percus-Yevick equation as well as the rational-function approximation, the radial distribution function g(r) of the SW fluid is theoretically estimated and a good agreement with our MC simulations is found. Finally, a similar study is carried out for short-range SW fluid mixtures.     

Quantifying the protein core flexibility through analysis of cavity formation

We present an extensive analysis of cavity statistics in the interior of three different proteins, in liquid n-hexane, and in water performed using molecular-dynamics simulations. The heterogeneity of packing density over atomic length scales in different parts of proteins is evident in the wide range of values observed for the average cavity size, the probability of cavity formation, and the corresponding free energy of hard-sphere insertion. More interestingly, however, the distribution of cavity sizes observed at various points in the protein interior is surprisingly homogeneous in width. That width is significantly smaller than that measured for similar distributions in liquid n-hexane or water, indicating that protein interior is much less flexible than liquid hexane. The width of the cavity size distribution correlates well with the experimental isothermal compressibility data for liquids and proteins. An analysis of cavity statistics thus provides an efficient method to quantify local properties, such as packing, stiffness, or compressibility in heterogeneous condensed media.     

Gapped gapless packing structures

The assumption of a gapless packing structure has previously been used to obtain the density and partial coordination numbers of a random mixture of hard spheres in the maximally dense regime. Here we extend the notion of a gapless packing structure to allow the determination of the characteristics of a packing away from maximal density by adding an appropriate number of void spherical elements. A gapless packing is then considered in which the void and solid spherical elements are assumed to be indistinguishable except for the purposes of calculating packing fraction and coordination number. We utilize the notion of specific volume to generate a one-parameter family of void distributions to obtain a set of coupled integral equations, which are solved numerically. Monodisperse and bi-disperse packings are investigated for packing fractions ranging from rho=0.26 to 0.78. Results are shown to be comparable to experiments and the effect of varying packing fraction on coordination numbers is shown to be invariant with respect to number distribution. A linear relationship between coordination number and packing fraction is elucidated for moderate to low packing fractions. Maximum and minimum random packing fractions are also discussed.     

食品包装材料中双酚A在食品模拟物中迁移规律的研究

食品塑料包装材料的安全是保障食品安全的重要一环,包装材料中的双酚A潜在迁移性对人体健康的危害已引起社会的关注. 分别选取蒸馏水、3%乙酸(体积分数)和10%乙醇(体积分数)3种食品模拟物,浸泡已知双酚A含量的食品包装材料,在一定的时间点测试浸泡液中双酚A含量,研究迁移量与模拟物之间的关系. 结果表明,在不同食品模拟物下包装材料中双酚A的迁移量不同,其特定迁移量顺序为10%乙醇溶液>3 %乙酸溶液>蒸馏水. 并研究了温度、时间及微波作用影响食品包装材料中双酚A向食品中的迁移量,结果表明,双酚A向食品中迁移量随接触时间的延长、温度的升高而增加,微波作用能显著提高包装材料中双酚A向食品中的迁移量.     

甲醇对1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸离子液体结构与性质影响的模拟研究

采用分子动力学模拟方法研究了298.15 K、0.1 MPa下摩尔分数为0.1-0.9 的甲醇对1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑四氟硼酸盐([BMIM][BF₄])结构与性质的影响. 获得了体系的密度、径向分布函数、配位数、自扩散系数、粘度和电导率, 模拟得到的密度值与实验值符合较好. 结果显示: 体系各组分之间的径向分布函数随甲醇摩尔分数的增加呈规律性变化; 体系内阴阳离子的自扩散系数随着甲醇摩尔分数的增加不断增大; 甲醇的加入削弱了阴阳离子之间的相互作用, 体系粘度随着甲醇摩尔分数的增加逐渐减小, 电导率不断增大. 分析空间分布函数得到体系中各组分的三维空间分布情况.     

Evolution of self-diffusion and local structure in some amines over a wide temperature range at high pressures: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Self-diffusion and structural properties of ammonia, methylamine and trimethylamine have been studied by molecular dynamics simulation in the temperature range between the melting pressure curve and 700 K at pressures up to 400 MPa. The calculation results agree well with the experiment, which suggests that one can use the simulation method as a powerful tool to obtain self-diffusion coefficients over wide range of temperatures and pressures, under which it is rather difficult for experiments. The local structures of such fluids are investigated by calculating radial distribution functions (RDFs), the numbers of hydrogen bonds and coordination numbers. The correlation between self-diffusion and structural properties, and the influence of temperature and pressure on them are discussed. The simulation results demonstrate that the temperature effects are more pronounced than the pressure effects on self-diffusion and structural properties, and the effect of hydrogen bonding on the translational dynamics in any of these systems is a minor factor, while it is mainly affected by the close packing of amine molecules.     

Column radial homogeneity in high-performance liquid chromatography

The radial distribution of analyte molecules within an elution band in HPLC was determined by local, on-column, fluorescence detection at the column outlet. Several optical fiber assemblies were implanted in the exit frit at different points over the column cross-section and the fluorescence of a laser-dye analyte was measured. The individual elements of a diode array were used as independent detectors. The distribution of the mobile phase velocity across the column was measured for a number of standard size analytical HPLC columns of different efficiencies, operated at different mobile phase linear velocities. The dependence of the column efficiency on these profiles is discussed.     

Structural radial heterogeneity of a silica-based wide-bore monolithic column

The radial distribution of the main characteristics (elution time and standard deviation) of the elution profiles of a flat injected band recorded at the exit of a monolithic column were determined. These distributions provide the radial distributions of the average mobile phase velocity, the elution time and the maximum height of the peak of an analyte, the column efficiency and the analyte concentration. The band profiles were measured at the exit of a 10-mm i.d., 100-mm long silica-based monolithic column. An on-column local electrochemical amperometric detector allowed the recording of the elution profiles at different spatial positions throughout the column cross-section. The local spatial distribution of the mobile phase velocity does not follow a piston-flow behavior but exhibits radial heterogeneity. The local efficiency near the wall is lower than that near the column center. The radial distribution of the maximum concentration of the peaks varies throughout the column exit section, partially due to the radial variations of the column efficiency. These results might explain the rather large value of the A term of the Van Deemter or the Knox equations reported previously for monolithic columns.     

Separation of Poly(propylene) Samples According to Tacticity Using a Hypercarb Column

Summary: Samples of polypropylene having different stereoregularities, i.e., differing in the isotactic or syndiotactic stereosequence distribution, were separated by means of high-temperature gradient adsorption liquid chromatography. The porous graphite was used as stationary phase in the column packing (Hypercarb®). Predominantly isotactic samples eluted in 1-decanol, while predominantly syndiotactic samples eluted in a binary gradient composed of 1-decanol and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene. Their elution volumes increased with the average content of the syndiotactic units (racemo dyads mole fraction as determined with the NMR spectroscopy) in the samples. Thus these chromatographic separations represent a new method for the analysis and characterization of stereoregular polyolefins. It requires substantially less time and solvents than the commonly used methods.     

On the modeling of small-angle X-ray scattering from systems of oriented fibrils

A method is outlined for the simulation of the scattering pattern from systems of oriented fibrils using the radial distribution function of a hard-disc fluid obtained under the Percus–Yevick approximation. In this manner both the diameter and the volume fraction of the fibrils may be estimated directly from the scattering pattern. The effect of polydispersity in the distribution of fibril diameters on the position of the scattering peak is discussed, suggesting that an estimate of the volume fraction from the peak position alone, such as in a modified Bragg's law, may be inaccurate.     

The dynamic behavior of ethanol and water mixtures inside an Au nanotube molecule filter

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to investigate the behavior of water and ethanol molecules, which were mixed with five water-ethanol weight fractions (100:0, 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, and 75:25) inside the Au nanotube. To investigate the nano-confinement effect on water and ethanol molecules, the data of both molecules were analyzed by the probability of the number H-bonds per water and ethanol molecule and radial density distribution. Our results reveal that the radial density distributions and the number of H-bonds are significantly influenced by the Au nanotube, and the molecules also display different behavior from those in the bulk environment. In addition, the interaction between water molecules and the Au nanotube is stronger than that between ethanol molecules and the Au nanotube, from the profile of radial density distribution. Finally, both the number of H-bonds per water and per ethanol will be affected by the weight fraction, because the H-bond not only forms between the same material, but also between different materials.     

Effect of pore packing defects in 2-d ordered mesoporous carbons on ionic transport

Ordered mesoporous materials show great importance in energy, environmental, and chemical engineering. The diffusion of guest species in mesoporous networks plays an important role in these applications, especially for energy storage, such as supercapacitors based on ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs). The ion diffusion behavior in two different 2-D hexagonal OMCs was investigated by using cyclic voltametry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In addition, transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen cryosorption methods were used to study the pore structure variations of these two OMCs. It was found that, for the OMC with defective pore channels (termed as pore packing defects), the gravimetric capacitance was greatly decayed when the voltage scan rate was increased. The experimental results suggest that, for the ion diffusion in 2-D hexagonal OMCs with similar mesopore size distribution, the pore packing defect is a dominant dynamic factor.