[212] Monte Carlo simulations probing the liquid/vapour interface of water/hexane mixtures: adsorption thermodynamics, hydrophobic effect, and structural analysis

M.S. Minkara, T. Josephson, J.L. Chen, C.L. Vennteicher, C.J. Peters, and J.I. Siepmann

Mol. Phys. 116, 3283–3291 (2018)

Publication Abstract

Knowledge about the interfacial properties of water/oil mixtures is important for the petrochemical industry and for understanding detergency and hydrophobic effects. Here, we probe the liquid/vapour interface of water/n-hexane mixtures using configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulations in the NWNHVHpHT osmotic Gibbs ensemble. We study the effect of n-hexane at several partial pressures ranging from 25% to 95% of its saturated vapour pressure and observe that the surface tension decreases with increasing n-hexane pressure. Additionally, we analyse the simulation trajectories to provide molecular-level insights on the spatial distribution of n-hexane and the structure of the interface. The n-hexane molecules strongly adsorb from the vapour phase onto the liquid interface with a preferentially parallel orientation with respect to the interface. The surface excess, from the Gibbs adsorption isotherm equation, is calculated and used to systematically define the domain of adsorbed n-hexane. Integrating over this gives the free energy of adsorption of n-hexane, which is highly favourable, varying from -9.56 +/- .03 to -10.40 +/- .02 kJ/mol as the partial pressure of n-hexane is increased. The enrichment of n-hexane molecules on the interface yields a positive deviation from Henry's law at higher partial pressures, providing evidence for favourable adsorbate-adsorbate interactions.

Monte Carlo simulations probing the liquid/vapour interface of water/hexane mixtures: adsorption thermodynamics, hydrophobic effect, and structural analysis