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Molecular dynamics simulations with many-body interactions were carried out to understand the bulk and interfacial absorption of gases in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF4). A new polarizable molecular model was developed for BMIMBF4, which was found to give the correct liquid density but which also had good agreement with experiment for its surface tension and X-ray reflectivity. The potential of mean force of CO2and SO2was calculated across the air−BMIMBF4 interface, and the bulk free energies were calculated with the free-energy perturbation method. A new polarizable model was also developed for CO2. The air−BMIMBF4 interface had enhanced BMIM density, which was mostly related to its butyl group, followed by enhanced BF4 density a few angstroms toward the liquid bulk. The density profiles were observed to exhibit oscillations between high BMIM and BF4 density indicating the presence of surface layering induced by the interface. The potential of mean force for CO2and SO2showed more negative free energies in regions of enhanced BF4 density, while more positive free energies were found in regions of high BMIM density. Moreover, these gases showed free-energy minimums at the interface, where the BMIM alkyl groups were found to be most prevalent. Our results show the importance of ionic liquid interfacial ordering for understanding gas solvation in them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulations with the CHARMM atomistic force field have been used to study monolayers of a series of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) at the water/air interface. Both the numbers of carbon atoms in the LAS alkyl tail (1 to 11) and the position of attachment of the benzene ring on the alkyl chain have been varied. Totally 36 LAS homologues and isomers have been investigated. The surface tensions of the systems and the average tilt angles of the LAS molecules are found to be related to both the length and the degree of branching of the alkyl tails, whereas the solubility and mobility are mostly determined by the tail length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we perform a series of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the category of sodium alkyl sulfate (SDS-type) surfactant monolayers at the water/trichloroethylene (TCE) interface. Three separate tail-length SDS-type molecules are used. We investigate the conformation of surfactant chain (i.e., packing, orientation, and order), interfacial properties (i.e., interfacial thickness, interfacial tension, area compressibility, and bending modulus), their dependence on the chain length, and the average area per surfactant chain. We also examine the behavior of the surfactant monolayer in the metastable regime of negative surface tension with reference to collapse. The simulation has clearly shown that the very dilute monolayer is well described as a two-dimensional gas. With the increase of interfacial surfactant coverage, the monolayer is in the liquid-expanded (LE) phase. The surfactant tails at the interface become straighter, more ordered, and thicker at higher surfactant coverage. At the same time, interfacial tension of long-tail systems is always lower than that of short-tail systems. In the LE phase, the area compressibility modulus and the bending modulus increase with an increase in tail length. With a further decrease in molecular areas, the monolayer with large negative surface tension becomes unstable. Our simulations show that buckling of the monolayers is of dynamic nature as a response to mechanical instability. The further transformation pathway from buckling to bud can be controlled by the bending modulus, which depends crucially on the tail length and interfacial surfactant coverage. At a given area per molecule, the short tail chain makes the monolayer softer, and the budding process becomes more probable. For the supersaturated softer SDS monolayer, the collapse transition is initiated by the buckling of monolayers, followed primarily by budding and detachment of the nanoscale swollen micelle from the monolayer. Despite a number of extensive studies of monolayer collapse at the air/water interface, to our knowledge the conversion of surfactants from the liquid−liquid interface to swollen micellar aggregates as described here has not been reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions of neuropeptides and membranes play an important role in peptide hormone function. Our current understanding of peptide−membrane interactions remains limited due to the paucity of experimental techniques capable of probing such interactions. In this work, we study the nature of opioid peptide−membrane interactions using ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy. The high temporal resolution of 2D IR is particularly suited for studying highly flexible opioid peptides. We investigate the location of the tyrosine (Tyr) side chain of leucine-enkephalin (Lenk) in lipid bilayer membranes by measuring spectral diffusion of the phenolic ring vibrational mode in three different systems: Lenk in lipid bilayer membranes (bicelles), Lenk in deuterated water, and p-cresol in deuterated water. Frequency−frequency correlation functions obtained from waiting-time-dependent 2D IR spectra reveal an ultrafast decaying component with an ∼1 ps time constant that is common for all three systems. On the basis of density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, this spectral diffusion component is attributed to hydrogen-bond dynamics of the phenolic hydroxyl group interacting with bulk water. Unlike p-cresol in water, both Lenk systems exhibit static spectral inhomogeneity, which can be attributed to conformational distributions of Lenk that do not interconvert within 4 ps. Our results suggest that the Tyr side chain of Lenk in bicelles is located at the water-abundant region at the membrane−water interface and not embedded into the hydrophobic core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface dynamics and nanoscratched mechanisms of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAM) chemisorbed on a gold surface are investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. The characteristic mechanisms mainly include the nanoscratched depths, the workpiece temperatures, the scratched speed, the SAM chain lengths, and the shapes of the indenters. The simulation results show that the disorder and the plastic mobility of SAM structures increased with increasing nanoscratched depth. The scratched forces, the potential energy, the friction force, and the friction coefficient increased with increasing scratched depth. The larger scratched depth required a larger force to overcome the resistance, which leads to the increases in the friction force. The variations of the scratched forces and the friction forces after scratching at various temperatures are very similar. An increase in the scratched force, friction force, and friction coefficient with increasing scratched speed is observed. The scratched shape after scratching is clearer for a longer SAM chain. The SAM structures are easily tilted and bent when the chain length is longer. The reaction forces after scratching using a spherical indenter are higher than those after scratching using a Vickers indenter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid−vacuum interface of the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide were performed with an all-atom force field. Structural properties of the interface, such as orientational ordering and density profiles, were calculated. The hexyl side chain of the cation is likely to protrude outward from the surface layer. There is a region with enhanced density from that of the bulk where the cation preferably slants with the imidazolium ring tending to be perpendicular to the interface. The surface tensions are calculated using mechanical and thermodynamic definitions via profiles along the direction normal to the interface. We also discuss the different contributions to the surface tension due to the repulsion−dispersion and electrostatic interactions. The use of local pressure profiles provides an explanation to the systematic problems encountered by several researchers to obtain accurate values of the surface tension at low temperature. Even when macroscopically the system looks in equilibrium, locally this is not accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electron density profiles and corresponding surface structures of an aqueous interface of SrCl2salt solution were computed by use of molecular dynamics simulations. We used both polarizable and nonpolarizable potential models to describe molecular interactions. The results demonstrate that the polarizable models captured the essential features of the corresponding X-ray reflectivity experimental data while the corresponding nonpolarizable models could not. In addition, we demonstrated that the shape of the X-ray reflectivity curve could be quantitatively reproduced if the simulations were carried out at lower SrCl2concentrations, making it likely that the polarizable models used in this study somewhat overestimate the surface concentration of ions. However, significant interfacial enhancement of both Sr2+and Cl−appears necessary to reproduce the experimental spectra. This is in contrast to systems with monovalent cations, which have generally been found to have a double layer, in which anions are enhanced at the surface but cations are repelled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present molecular dynamics simulations of interfaces relevant to the selective chemical extraction of uranyl ions from aqueous solution. These molecular-level simulations model ion transfer in the PUREX process and in synthetic, selective membranes. We first present simulations of water/oil interfaces modified by incorporation of tributyl phosphate (TBP) into the oil phase (hexane). A range of concentrations is examined, from a single TBP molecule to values close to those utilized in the PUREX process. The TBP molecules exhibit strong interfacial activity, and the interface broadens relative to the water/oil case with increasing TBP concentrations. Additional structural features, including radial distribution functions and orientational distributions, are examined to elucidate the molecular ordering at the interface; the interface structure changes substantially with increasing TBP concentration. Finally, free-energy profiles are computed for (1) a single TBP molecule and a single uranyl nitrate complex [UO2(NO3)2] across the water/oil interface and (2) a UO2(NO3)2·TBP2complex across both water/oil and water/(oil+TBP) interfaces. The UO2(NO3)2complex is strongly repelled from the water/oil interface, while the UO2(NO3)2·TBP2complex exhibits interfacial activity that decreases with increasing TBP concentration. The UO2(NO3)2·TBP2complex displays a net free-energy driving force for partitioning into the oil phase that increases with increasing TBP concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water solutions of representative ([C4mim][Cl] and [C4mim][Tf2N]) room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) in contact with a neutral lipid bilayer made of cholesterol molecules has been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations based on an empirical force field model. The results show that both ILs display selective adsorption at the water−cholesterol interface, with partial inclusion of ions into the bilayer. In the case of [C4mim][Cl], the adsorption of ions at the water−cholesterol interface is limited by a sizable bulk solubility of the IL, driven by the high water affinity of [Cl]−. The relatively low solubility of [C4mim][Tf2N], instead, gives rise to a nearly complete segregation of the IL component on the bilayer, altering its volume, compressibility, and electrostatic environment. The computational results display important similarities to the results of recent experimental measurements for ILs in contact with phospholipid model membranes (see Evans, K. O. Int. J. Mol. Sci.2008, 9, 498−511 and references therein). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used in concert to investigate the molecular structure and hydrogen bonding of the air/water interface. MD simulations were performed with a variety of water models. The results indicated that only the upper most two layers of water molecules are ordered in this system. There is a strong preference to have the top layer arranged such that the OH moiety points upward into the air. This orientational preference arises from two factors that involve the maximization of the number of hydrogen bonds formed and the minimization of partial charge that is exposed. Specifically, the lone pairs from oxygen are less likely to face into the air compared with the OH moiety because this would expose more partial charge and, therefore, be unfavorable on enthalpic grounds. The two-layer interfacial water structure model implies that there should be four distinct types of OH stretches for this system. Namely, one directs upward and another points downward in each layer. Interestingly, VSFS experiments revealed the presence of four OH stretch region peaks at 3117, 3222, 3448, and 3696 cm−1. The phases of the 3117 and 3696 cm−1resonances carried a positive sign, which indicates that these features arise from OH groups with protons facing upward toward the air. The other two resonances emanate from OH groups with protons facing downward toward the bulk aqueous solution. On the basis of this, we assign the 3117 cm−1peak to the OH moiety from a water molecule in the second layer, which is hydrogen bonded upward toward the top layer. On the other hand, the peak at 3222 cm−1should arise from water molecules in the top layer with the OH moiety facing downward to hydrogen bond to the second layer. The 3448 cm−1peak arises from hydrogen bonding between water molecules in the second layer and the more disordered water molecules of the bulk liquid. Finally, the peak at 3696 cm−1is assigned to the free OH moiety pointing upward in the top layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth kinetics of a tetrahydrofuran (THF) clathrate hydrate at the interface between the clathrate and an aqueous THF solution were investigated by means of a molecular dynamic simulation. The simulation was carried out for the interface of both the {100} and {111} planes of the THF clathrate. The simulation indicated the same anisotropic growth as that observed in real systems: the growth of the THF clathrate was much slower at the {111} interface than at the {100} interface. When the THF clathrate grew, THF molecules that were dissolved in the solution first were arranged at both large and small cage sites on the interface. Subsequently, the formation of cages by H2O molecules occurred in regions surrounded or sandwiched by those arranged THF molecules. As the formation of cages progressed, the THF molecules that had once been arranged at small cage sites gradually moved away from the sites, and finally the structure of the clathrate was completely formed. Simulation results strongly suggested that the rate-determining process for clathrate growth was the rearrangement of THF molecules at the interface from a disordered state to a state in which THF molecules were ideally arranged at large cage sites only. This rearrangement occurred much more slowly at the {111} interface than at the {100} interface, owing to the formation of a modified structure in which large and small cages were formed at opposite positions of the {111} interface. The anisotropic growth kinetics of the THF clathrate, which were obtained in this study, are consistent with the fact that growth shapes of THF clathrates in real systems are octahedral with flat {111} planes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the two-dimensional infrared response of D2O and of OD impurity at the interface of phospholipid membrane fragments. The spectra of the two aqueous states are inhomogeneously broadened due to the absorption of water molecule associated with the membrane interface in different structural sites. The nonlinear spectra of the two species allow disentangling of the spectral contributions of the aqueous states of two types: where the stretching modes are under effective mixing and where the stretching modes are uncoupled. By reviewing the results of the experimental studies with the support of molecular dynamic simulation we identify the spectral signatures of the main structural motives responsible for the inhomogeneous distribution of resonances in the infrared OD stretching region. Our analysis provides a quantitative estimate of the statistical population of the different aqueous species at the polar interface of the bilayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of hydrogen bond formation and breakage for water in the vicinity of water/hydrocarbon liquid interfaces is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Several liquid alkanes are considered as the hydrocarbon phase in order to determine the effects of their chain length and extent of branching on the properties of the adjacent water phase. In addition to defining the interface location in terms of the laboratory-frame density profiles, the effects of interfacial fluctuations are considered by locating the interface in terms of the proximity of the molecules of the other phase. We find that the hydrogen bond dynamics of interfacial water is weakly influenced by the identity of the hydrocarbon phase and by capillary waves. In addition to calculating hydrogen bond time correlations, we examine how the hydrogen bond dynamics depend on local coordination and determine the extent of cooperativity in the population relaxation of the hydrogen bonds that a given molecule participates in. The contributions of translational diffusion and reorientation of molecular O−H bonds to the mechanism of hydrogen bond breakage and reformation are investigated. In previous work, we have shown that rotation of the principal axes of water is anisotropic at the interface and depends on the initial orientation of the molecule relative to the interface. Here, we extend this analysis to the reorientation of the O−H vector and to hydrogen bond time correlation. We find that hydrogen bond dynamics are also sensitive to the initial orientation of the molecules participating in the hydrogen bond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report a successful molecular simulation study exploring the heterogeneous crystal growth of sI methane hydrate along its 001 crystallographic face. The molecular modeling of the crystal growth of methane hydrate has proven in the past to be very challenging, and a reasonable framework to overcome the difficulties related to the simulation of such systems is presented. Both the microscopic mechanisms of heterogeneous crystal growth as well as interfacial properties of methane hydrate are probed. In the presence of the appropriate crystal template, a strong tendency for water molecules to organize into cages around methane at the growing interface is observed; the interface also demonstrates a strong affinity for methane molecules. The maximum growth rate measured for a hydrate crystal is about 4 times higher than the value previously determined for ice I in a similar framework (Gulam Razul, M. S.; Hendry, J. G.; Kusalik, P. G. J. Chem. Phys.2005, 123, 204722). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]