Dynamics of capillary drying in water

We use atomistic simulations to address the question when capillary evaporation of water confined in a hydrocarbonlike slit is kinetically viable. Activation barriers and absolute rates of evaporation are estimated using open ensemble Monte Carlo-umbrella sampling and molecular dynamics simulations. At ambient conditions, the evaporation rate in a water film four molecular diameters thick is found to be of the order 10(5)(nm(2) s)(-1), meaning that water readily evaporates. Films more than a few nanometers thick will persist in a metastable liquid state. Dissolved atmospheric gas molecules do not significantly decrease the activation barrier.