Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Salt And Water Uptake In Nanocon!Nement Under Applied Electric Field: An Open Ensemble Monte Carlo Study, F. Moucka, D. Bratko, A. Luzar

Chemistry Publications

Permeation of electrolytes in nanoporous materials underlies many applications in energy and materials technologies. Wetting of apolar nanopores can be enhanced by electric !eld, attracting water and ions from unperturbed electrolyte bath. We study absorption of water and NaCl in the pores by Expanded Ensemble Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation, which implements particle insertions and deletions through incremental changes in particles’ coupling with the system. We determine the uptake of water and ions in the pores, and concomitant changes in pore thermodynamics, as functions of !eld strength in the pore and salinity in the external bath. Pressure increase and reduction …