Short chains at solid surfaces: wetting transition from a density functional approach

A microscopic density functional theory is used to investigate the adsorption of short chains on attractive solid surfaces. We analyze the structure of the adsorbed fluid and investigate how the wetting transition changes with the change of the chain length and with the relative strength of the fluid-solid interaction. End segments adsorb preferentially in the first adsorbed layer whereas the concentration of the middle segments is enhanced in the second layer. We observe that the wetting temperature rescaled by the bulk critical temperature decreases with an increase of the chain length. For longer chains this temperature reaches a plateau. For the surface critical temperature an inverse effect is observed, i.e., the surface critical temperature increases with the chain length and then attains a plateau. These findings may serve as a quick estimate of the wetting and surface critical temperatures for fluids of longer chain lengths.     

Phase behavior of ionic fluids in slitlike pores: a density functional approach for the restricted primitive model

We present a density functional theory of nonuniform ionic fluids. This theory is based on the application of the electrostatic contribution to the free energy functional arising from mean spherical approximation for a bulk restricted primitive model and from the energy route bulk equation of state. In order to employ this functional we define a reference fluid and additional averaged densities, according to the approach introduced by Gillespie, Nonner and Eisenberg [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 14, 12129 (2002)]. In the case of bulk systems the proposed theory reduces to the mean spherical approximation equation of state, arising from the energy route and thus it predicts the first-order phase transition. We use this theory to investigate the effects of confinement on the liquid-vapor equilibria. Two cases are considered, namely an electrolyte confined to the pore with uncharged walls and with charged walls. The dependence of the capillary evaporation diagrams on the pore width and on the electrostatic potential is determined.     

A local density functional approximation for the ion distribution near a charged electrode in the restricted primitive model electrolyte

A local HNC/MSA approximation is developed and applied to the 1:1 restricted primitive model electrolyte. Improvement of ion density profiles in front of a charged electrode is achieved by employing ion—ion direct correlation functions from homogeneous systems of non-neutral composition as found locally in the inhomogeneous double layer. This approximation is related to the density functional approach for inhomogeneous fluids. The local HNC/MSA method predicts, at higher surface charges, layering of counterions and charge inversion as seen in Monte Carlo data, a strong increase of the surface potential with charging and a maximum in the double layer capacitance.     

Density functional approach to the adsorption of spherical molecules on a surface modified with attached short chains

A density functional and Monte Carlo simulation study of end-grafted polymers immersed by simple fluids is presented. The polymer molecules are modeled as freely jointed tangent hard spheres with the end segments linked to the surface. The authors analyze an influence of the chain length, the grafting density, and a nature of solvent on the brush structure. Adsorption of hard-sphere mixtures on the modified surface is also discussed. The theory precisely approximates simulation data.     

Structure of inhomogeneous polymer solutions: a density functional approach

The structure of polymer solutions confined between surfaces is studied using a density functional theory where the polymer molecules have been modeled as a pearl necklace of freely jointed hard spheres and the solvent as hard spheres. The present theory uses the concept of universality of the free energy density functional to obtain the first-order direct correlation function of the nonuniform system from that of the corresponding uniform system, calculated through the Verlet-modified type bridge function. The uniform bulk fluid direct correlation function required as input has been calculated from the reference interaction site model integral equation theory using the Percus-Yevick closure relation. The calculated results on the density profiles of the polymer as well as the solvent are shown to compare well with computer simulation results.     

Nanodrop on a nanorough solid surface: density functional theory considerations

The density distributions and contact angles of liquid nanodrops on nanorough solid surfaces are determined on the basis of a nonlocal density functional theory. Two kinds of roughness, chemical and physical, are examined. The former considers the substrate as a sequence of two kinds of semi-infinite vertical plates of equal thicknesses but of different natures with different strengths for the liquid-solid interactions. The physical roughness involves an ordered set of pillars on a flat homogeneous surface. Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces were considered. For the chemical roughness, the contact angle which the drop makes with the flat surface increases when the strength of the liquid-solid interaction for one kind of plates decreases with respect to the fixed value of the other kind of plates. Such a behavior is in agreement with the Cassie-Baxter expression derived from macroscopic considerations. For the physical roughness on a hydrophobic surface, the contact angle which a drop makes with the plane containing the tops of the pillars increases with increasing roughness. Such a behavior is consistent with the Wenzel formula developed for macroscopic drops. For hydrophilic surfaces, as the roughness increases the contact angle first increases, in contradiction with the Wenzel formula, which predicts for hydrophilic surfaces a decrease of the contact angle with increasing roughness. However, a further increase in roughness changes nonmonotonously the contact angle, and at some roughness, the drop disappears and only a liquid film is present on the surface. It was also found that the contact angle has a periodic dependence on the volume of the drop.     

Molecular-scale model for the mass density of electrolyte solutions bound by clay surfaces: application to bentonites

A model to simulate the density of solutions adsorbed onto clay mineral surfaces is proposed. In this model, the alteration of the ionic distribution caused by the electric field associated with the surface charge of clay platelets is accounted for using an electrical triple-layer model with an overlapping diffuse layer. The combined effects of ion hydration and the electric field on the structure of water are introduced through their influence on the partial molar volume of water. This model, applied to Na-montmorillonite, simulates the distribution of the interplatelet solution density as a function of the distance to the mineral surface. High densities in the direct vicinity of the surface and slightly lower density (a few percent) than the normal density in the diffuse layer are obtained. These results show good consistency with the available data on bentonite and with the densities that can be inferred from molecular dynamics simulations. This model shows that the interplatelet distance plays an important role in the distribution of the mass density of the solution in the pore space of clay rocks.     

Simple model for DNA adsorption onto a mica surface in 1:1 and 2:1 electrolyte solutions

We propose a simple theory of interactions between like-charged polyelectrolyte and a surface based on a mean-field Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek approach. It predicts that the van der Waals attractive interactions are responsible for irreversible physisorption of polyelectrolytes onto charged surfaces. We show that monovalent salts contribute significantly to repulsive interactions, while enhancing the attraction very slightly. The effect of the divalent counterions is reverse. Therefore, to achieve the adsorption, the overall repulsion due to 1:1 electrolyte should be counterbalanced by the stronger van der Waals attraction due to the presence of doubly charged counterions in solution. The theory has been validated experimentally against its ability to predict the minimum polymer/surface interaction energy required for the adsorption using DNA/mica in NaCl, MgCl2, and NiCl2 solutions as a test system. The theory explains the mechanism of linear DNA adsorption to a mica surface for different solvent compositions and can be used as a tool for predicting the optimum conditions for AFM experiments on linear polymer systems. The model can also be used to make general conclusions on the conformation of polymer molecules on a surface. We have shown for the DNA/mica surface system that when the adsorption of DNA is mostly governed by long-range van der Waals forces the molecule adopts an ideal 2D conformation. When the adsorption is mostly due to short-range ion-correlation forces, DNA will appear 3D --> 2D projected in agreement with experimental data.     

On the effects of ion-wall chemical association on the electric double layer: a density functional approach for the restricted primitive model at a charged wall

We describe a density functional theory for the restricted primitive model of ionic fluid at a charged wall with active sites to which ions can bond. The theory is an extension of our recent approach [Pizio et al., J. Chem. Phys. 121, 11957 (2004)] and is focused in the effects of specific adsorption of ions on the wall, besides the electrostatic phenomena. In order to solve the problem, we use the first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory of chemical association developed by Wertheim [J. Chem. Phys. 87, 7323 (1987)]. The microscopic structure of the electric double layer and the amount of adsorbed charge are investigated. Also, the temperature dependence of capacitance is analyzed. The capacitance depends on the kind of ions that form associative bonds with the surface sites and is determined by a net charge acting on the diffuse layer. The shape of the temperature dependence of capacitance essentially depends on the association energy and the density of bonding sites.     

Co-ion and ion competition effects: ion distributions close to a hydrophobic solid surface in mixed electrolyte solutions

We consider within a modified Poisson-Boltzmann theory an electrolyte, with different mixtures of NaCl and NaI, near uncharged and charged solid hydrophobic surfaces. The parametrized potentials of mean force acting on Na+, Cl-, and I- near an uncharged self-assembled monolayer were deduced from molecular simulations with polarizable force fields. We study what happens when the surface presents negative charges. At moderately charged surfaces, we observe strong co-ion adsorption and clear specific ion effects at biological concentrations. At high surface charge densities, the co-ions are pushed away from the interface. We predict that Cl- ions can also be excluded from the surface by increasing the concentration of NaI. This ion competition effect (I- versus Cl-) may be relevant for ion-specific partitioning in multiphase systems where polarizable ions accumulate in phases with large surface areas.     

Azide functional monolayers grafted to a germanium surface: model substrates for ATR-IR studies of interfacial click reactions

High-quality azide-functional substrates are prepared by a low temperature reaction of 11-bromoundecyltrichlorosilane with UV-ozone-treated germanium ATR-IR plates followed by nucleophilic substitution of the terminal bromine by addition of sodium azide. The resulting monolayer films are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), and ellipsometry. XPS and ellipsometric thickness data correspond well to the results of molecular model calculations confirming the formation of a densely packed azide-functional monolayer. These azide-functional substrates enable interfacial "click" reactions with complementary alkyne-functional molecules to be studied in situ by ATR-IR. To illustrate their potential utility for kinetic studies we show that, in the presence of copper(I) catalyst, the azide-modified surfaces react rapidly and quantitatively with 5-chloro-pentyne to form triazoles via a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. Time-resolved ATR-IR measurements indicate that the interfacial click reaction is initially first order in azide concentration as expected from the reaction mechanism, with a rate constant of 0.034 min(-1), and then transitions to apparent second order dependence, with a rate constant of 0.017 min(-1)/(chains/nm(2)), when the surface azide and triazole concentrations become similar, as predicted by Oyama et al. The reaction achieves an ultimate conversion of 50% consistent with the limit expected due to steric hindrance of the 5-chloro-pentyne reactant at the surface.     

Macrokinetics of electrolysis of dilute solutions in systems with a solid polymer electrolyte

A model of contact between an electrode and a MF-4SK membrane in sulfuric acid solutions is studied by the impedance method. It is shown that a layer of higher electrolyte concentration forms near the free electrode surface in heavily diluted solutions. The layer ensures participation of this surface in the electrode process. Electrical fields in the region of contact between the membrane and a current collector are calculated     

Capillary condensation in pores with rough walls: a density functional approach

The effect of surface roughness of slit-like pore walls on the capillary condensation of a spherical particles and short chains is studied. The gas molecules interact with the substrate by a Lennard-Jones (9,3) potential. The rough layer at each pore wall has a variable thickness and density and consists of a disordered quenched matrix of spherical particles. The system is described in the framework of a density functional approach and using computer simulations. The contribution due to attractive van der Waals interactions between adsorbate molecules is described by using first-order mean spherical approximation and mean-field approximation.     

Structure of a dipolar fluid in contact with a solid: Adsorption and surface potential

The structure of a dipolar fluid in contact with a solid is investigated using the optimized cluster theory. The solid-liquid interaction is described by an effective one-dimensional potential. The model of a perfect impenetrable wall is dropped. An adsorption potential similar to the non-electrostatic potential appearing in the classical models of the double layer is introduced. We show that the effect of a reasonable adsorption potential is localized in the first monolayer in contact with the solid although the total effect of the solid is non localized in this monolayer. No states of orientation predominate in such a way that we can justify a two- or three-state model. The potential drop g^s(dip) across the interface and the change in the surface Gibbs energy due to the adsorption potential are calculated. An adsorption potential of magnitude 1kT gives g^s(dip) - ?0.6 V. In order to obtain the values of g^s(dip) generally accepted in the literature, no dielectric constant or clusters should be introduced. Because of the competition between the dipolar interaction and the adsorption potential, an increase of the dipole moment does not necessarily increase g^s(dip).     

Study of rhamnose radicals in the solid state adopting a density functional theory cluster approach

A theoretical study is performed on the radiation-induced radicals in crystalline alpha-l-rhamnose, using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Irrespective of earlier structural assignments, a host of possible radical models is examined in search for a structure that accurately reproduces experimental electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) properties. A cluster approach is followed, incorporating all hydrogen bond interactions between radical and crystalline environment. Hyperfine coupling tensors as well as g tensors are determined and a comparison is made with available experimental data. Three carbon-centered hydroxyalkyl radicals are validated, in accordance with experimental suggestions for their structure. The occurrence of a carbon-centered oxygen anion radical for one of the radical species is rejected on theoretical grounds, and instead an altered hydroxyalkyl structure is suggested. Our cluster calculations are able to determine g and hyperfine tensors for the oxygen-centered alkoxy radical in rhamnose, in accordance with one of the two measurements for this species. For all radical models, quantitative agreement with experimental hyperfine tensors is obtained by performing full cluster DFT calculations. The inclusion of the molecular environment for the determination of this EPR property proved to be essential.     

Transport properties of long straight nano-channels in electrolyte solutions: a systematic approach

The principle of local thermodynamic equilibrium is systematically employed for obtaining various transport properties of long straight nano-channels. The concept of virtual solution is used to describe situations of non-negligible overlap of diffuse parts of electric double layers (EDLs) in nano-channels. Generic expressions for a variety of transport properties of long straight nano-channels are obtained in terms of quasi-equilibrium distribution coefficients of ions and functionals of quasi-equilibrium distribution of electrostatic potential. Further, the Poisson-Boltzmann approach is used to specify these expressions for long straight slit-like nano-channels. In the approximation of non-overlapped diffuse parts of double electric layers in nano-channels, simple analytical expressions are obtained for the apparent electrophoretic mobilities of (trace) analytes of arbitrary charge as well as for the salt reflection coefficient (osmotic pressure), salt diffusion permeability and electro-viscosity (electrokinetic energy conversion). The approximate solutions are compared with the results of rigorous solution of non-linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation, and the accuracy of approximation is shown to be typically excellent when the nano-channel half-height exceeds ca.3 Debye screening lengths. Due to non-negligible electrostatic adsorption of ions by nano-channels, the apparent electrophoretic mobilities of counter-ionic analytes in nano-channels are smaller than in micro-channels whereas those of co-ionic analytes are larger. This dependence on the charge is useful for the separation of analytes of close electrophoretic mobilities. The osmotic pressure is shown to be positive, negative or pass through maxima as a function of applied salt-concentration difference within a fairly narrow range of ratios of nano-channel height to the Debye screening length. The diffusion permeability of charged nano-channels to single salts is demonstrated (for the first time) to be typically larger than that of neutral nano-channels of the same dimensions due to electrical facilitation of salt diffusion.     

Effect of attractions on the structure of polymer solutions confined between surfaces: a density functional approach

A density functional theory is presented to study the effect of attractions on the structure of polymer solutions confined between surfaces. The polymer molecules have been modeled as a pearl necklace of freely jointed hard spheres and the solvent as hard spheres, both having Yukawa-type attractions and the mixture being confined between attractive Yukawa-type surfaces. The present theory treats the ideal gas free energy functional exactly and uses weighted density approximation for the hard chain and hard sphere contributions to the excess free energy functional. The attractive interactions are calculated using the direct correlation function obtained from the polymer reference interaction site model theory along with the mean spherical approximation closure. The theoretical predictions on the density profiles of the polymer and the solvent molecules are found to agree quite well with the Monte Carlo simulation results for varying densities, chain lengths, wall separations, and different sets of interaction potentials.     

Nanodroplets on a planar solid surface: temperature, pressure, and size dependence of their density and contact angles

The shape and the density of a liquid drop on a planar solid surface, embedded in an inert gas at constant temperature and pressure, were examined on the basis of a microscopic density functional approach that accounts for the entropic (temperature-dependent) and energetic contributions to the free energy of the system. Integro-differential equations describing the profile and the density of a cylindrical (2D) drop were derived by the variational minimization of the Gibbs free energy with respect to both the drop profile and density under the assumption of uniform density. The equations were solved numerically using the constraint of a constant number of molecules N(l) per unit length of the drop. It was shown that for temperatures lower than a certain temperature Tw the free energy against density has generally two minima, representing a stable equilibrium state and a metastable one. One of those minima is located at a density corresponding to the density of a normal liquid, whereas the other one is located at a density comparable to the density of the surrounding inert gas. For this reason, the latter state of the drop cannot be stable. For T > Tw, the minimum corresponding to the liquid state disappears, and no drop can be formed on the surface. The temperature Tw depends on N(l) and the external pressure p and increases when N(l) and p increase. The true wetting angle theta0 that the drop profile makes with the solid surface depends on the parameters characterizing the microscopic interactions, the density, and the surface densities. If in the thermodynamically stable state absolute value(cos theta0) > 1, then no drop is formed on the surface. If in that state absolute value(cos theta0) < 1, then at any pressure the true contact angle decreases when the temperature increases and approaches Tw. However, theta0 does not reach a zero value for T < or = Tw but has for T = Tw a discontinuity from a finite to a zero value. The true contact angle also depends on the number of molecules in the drop and on the external pressure. For all considered values of N(l), p, and microscopic parameters of the intermolecular interactions, the density of the drop decreases with increasing temperature. The rate of decrease is constant for temperatures sufficiently far from Tw and increases when T approaches Tw. At a given temperature and pressure, the density of the drop decreases with decreasing N(l). For relatively large drops (N(l) approximately = 10(14)-10(20)), the rate of decrease is very small, whereas for small droplets (N(l) approximately = 10(12)) it becomes much larger.     

Monomer density profiles for polymer chains in confined geometries: massive field theory approach

Taking into account the well known correspondence between the field theoretical ?(4) O(n)-vector model in the limit n → 0 and the behavior of long flexible polymer chains in a good solvent, the universal density-force relation is analyzed and the corresponding universal amplitude ratio B(real) is obtained using the massive field theory approach in fixed space dimensions d < 4. The monomer density profiles of ideal chains and real polymer chains with excluded volume interaction in a good solvent between two parallel repulsive walls, one repulsive and one inert wall, are obtained in the framework of the massive field theory approach up to one-loop order. Besides, the monomer density profiles for the dilute polymer solution confined in semi-infinite space containing mesoscopic spherical particle of big radius are calculated. The obtained results are in qualitative agreement with previous theoretical investigations and with the results of Monte Carlo simulations.