Structural and transport properties of an SPC/E electrolyte in a nanopore

Abstract

Equilibrium (HMD) and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of confinement on the structural and transport properties of an electrolyte in a nanopore. The extended simple point charge (SPC/E) model was used to model water molecules in a 0.5 M KCl electrolyte. The cylindrical nanopore was smooth, structureless, and hydrophobic with a radius that varied from 4.75 to 15.8 A. Changes in energies and structures were observed as the nanopore radius varied. The ion-ion, ion-water, and water-water interaction energies, the ion-ion and ion-water pair distribution functions, the density profiles of H and O atoms, and the water orientation about the vertical axis and around an ion were calculated in the simulations. Because of confinement in the radial direction in a narrow pore, there was incomplete solvation of ions, evidenced by less negative ion-water energy and less alignment of water molecules with the field of the ion. With a stronger confinement, H-bonding decreased, whereas the external field had a stronger influence on the orientation of the water molecules. Both EMD and NEMD results showed a decrease of ionic conductivity with decreasing pore radius, but there was an appreciable discrepancy between the conductivities obtained by the two methods for the cases of smaller pore diameters.