A Comparative Study of the Properties of Polar and Nonpolar Solvent/Solute/Polystyrene Solutions in Microwave Fields Via Molecular Dynamics

The influence of an applied microwave field on the dynamics of methylamine-dichloromethane (DCM) mixtures bound within atactic polystyrene (a-PS) over a range of polymer densities from 30 to 94 wt % polymer was examined using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. This study is an extension of previous studies on methylamine transport in relatively polar polystyrene solutions of methanol and dimethylformamide [M. J. Purdue et al., J. Chem. Phys. 124, 204904 (2006)]. A direct comparison is made across the three types of polystyrene solutions. Consideration is given to both solvent and reagent transport within the polymer solutions under zero-field conditions and in an external electromagnetic field in the canonical ensemble (NVT) at 298.0 K. Various frequencies up to 104 GHz and a rms electric field intensity of 0.1 V/Å were applied. The simulation studies were validated by comparison of the simulated zero-field self-diffusion coefficients of DCM in a-PS with those obtained using pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR spectrometry. Athermal effects of microwave fields on solute transport behavior within polymer solutions are discussed

Molecular Dynamics of Polystyrene Solutions in Microwave Fields

Equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation techniques were used to assess the influence of an applied microwave field on the dynamics of methylamine-methanol and methylamine-dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions bound within atactic polystyrene over a range of polymer densities from 35 to 96 wt % polymer. Atomistically detailed systems were studied, ranging from 3000 to 10 644 particles, using previously established potential models. Structural and dynamical properties were determined in the canonical (NVT) ensemble at 298 K. The simulated DMF self-diffusion coefficients in polystyrene solutions were compared with the zero-field experimental results established with pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR spectrometry. A simulated external microwave field, with a rms electric field intensity of 0.1 V/Å, was applied to these systems and the simulated dynamical results over field frequencies up to 104 GHz were compared with the zero-field values. Simulated evidence of athermal effects on the diffusive characteristics of these mixtures is reported

Microbial life in volcanic lakes

Lakes in the craters of active volcanoes and their related streams are often characterised by conditions considered extreme for life, such as high temperatures, low pH and very high concentrations of dissolved metals and minerals. Such lakes tend to be transient features whose geochemistry can change markedly over short time periods. They might also vanish completely during eruption episodes or by drainage through the crater wall or floor. These lakes and their effluent streams and springs host taxonomically and metabolically diverse microorganisms belonging in the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya. In volcanic ecosystems the relation between geosphere and biosphere is particularly tight; microbial community diversity is shaped by the geochemical parameters of the lake, and by the activities of microbes interacting with the water and sediments. Sampling these lakes is often challenging, and few have even been sampled once, especially in a microbiological context. Developments in high-throughput cultivation procedures, single-cell selection techniques, and massive increases in DNA sequencing throughput, should encourage efforts to define which microbes inhabit these features and how they interact with each other and the volcano. The study of microbial communities in volcanic lake systems sheds light on possible origins of life on early Earth. Other potential outcomes include the development of microbial inocula to promote plant growth in altered or degraded soils, bioremediation of contaminated waste or land, and the discovery of enzymes or other proteins industrial or medical applications

Dynamical cage behaviour and hydrogen migration in hydrogen and hydrogen-tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrates

Classical equilibrium molecular dynamics(MD) simulations have been performed to investigate dynamical properties of cage radial breathing modes and intra- and inter-cage hydrogen migration in both pure hydrogen and mixed hydrogen-tetrahydrofuran sII hydrates at 0.05 kbar and up to 250K. For the mixed H2-THF system in which there is single H2 occupation of the small cage (labelled ‘1SC 1LC’), we find that no H2 migration occurs, and this is also the case for pure H2 hydrate with single small-cavity occupation and quadruple occupancy for large cages (dubbed ‘1SC 4LC’). However, for the more densely-filled H2-THF and pure- H2 systems, in which there is double H2 occupation in the small cage (dubbed ‘2SC 1LC’ and ‘2SC 4LC’, respectively), there is an onset of inter-cage H2 migration events from the small cages to neighbouring cavities at around 200 K, with an approximate Arrhenius temperature-dependence for the migration rate from 200 to 250 K. It was found that these ‘cage hopping’ events are facilitated by temporary openings of pentagonal small-cage faces with the relaxation and reformation of key stabilising hydrogen bonds during and following passage. The cages remain essentially intact up to 250 K, save for transient hydrogen bond weakening and reformation during and after inter-cage hydrogen diffusion events in the 200 to 250 K range. The ‘breathing modes’, or underlying frequencies governing the variation in the cavities’ radii, exhibit a certain overlap with THF rattling motion in the case of large cavities, while a there is some overlap of small cages’ radial breathing modes with lattice acoustic modes.Science Foundation Irelandke, ab, is - TS 26.04.1

Dynamical and energetic properties of hydrogen and hydrogen–tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrates

Classical equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to investigate the dynamical and energetic properties in hydrogen and mixed hydrogen-tetrahydrofuran sII hydrates at 30 and 200K and 0.05 kbar, and also at intermediate temperatures, using SPC/E and TIP4P-2005 water models. The potential model is found to have a large impact on overall density, with the TIP4P-2005 systems being on average 1 % more dense than their SPC/E counterparts, due to the greater guest-host interaction energy. For the lightly-filled mixed H2-THF system, in which there is single H2 occupation of the small cage (1s1l), we find that the largest contribution to the interaction energy of both types of guest is the van der Waals component with the surrounding water molecules in the constituent cavities. For the more densely-filled mixed H2-THF system, in which there is double H2 occupation in the small cage (2s1l), we find that there is no dominant component (i.e., van der Waals or Coulombic) in the H2 interaction energy with the rest of the system, but for the THF molecules, the dominant contribution is again the van der Waals interaction with the surrounding cage-water molecules; again, the Coulombic component increases in importance with increasing temperature. The lightly-filled pure H2 hydrate (1s4l) system exhibits a similar pattern vis-à-vis the H2 interaction energy as for the lightly-filled mixed H2-THF system, and for the more densely-filled pure H2 system (2s4l), there is no dominant component of interaction energy, due to the multiple occupancy of the cavities. By consideration of Kubic harmonics, there is some evidence of preferential alignment of the THF molecules, particularly at 200 K; this was found to arise at higher temperatures due to transient hydrogen bonding of the oxygen atom in THF molecules with the surrounding cage-water molecules.Science Foundation IrelandOther funderIrish Centre for High-End Computing12M embargo - release after 3/10/2012 - AV 15/11/2011 au, ke - kpw25/11/1