A Computer Simulation Study on Self- and Cross-Aggregation of Multiple Polar Species in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

The effect of hydrogen-bond cooperativity on self- and cross-aggregation of multiple polar species in supercritical carbon dioxide was investigated using both ab initio calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. Ab initio calculations indicate that hydrogen-bond cooperativity has a significant impact on the cluster size, but does not greatly influence the composition of clusters. The microscopic structures in the ethanol + CO2 and acetic acid + CO2 binary mixtures were first studied using Monte Carlo simulations with a strict set of criteria for hydrogen bonding, and a satisfactory agreement with experimental data was achieved. The state of microscopic phase separation in the ethanol + water + CO2 and acetic acid + water + CO2 ternary mixtures was then extensively investigated, indicating that the size and composition of aggregates are strongly dependent on the mixing ratio. Moreover, hydrogen-bond cooperativity must be considered to acquire more thorough understanding of the hydration process. On the basis of the detailed distributions of aggregate size and structure, a new two-staged hydration mechanism was finally proposed for the ternary solutions