Hydration structure in concentrated aqueous lithium chloride solutions: A reverse Monte Carlo based combination of molecular dynamics simulations and diffraction data

Abstract

We report on a comparison of three interaction potential models of water (SPC/E, TIP4P-2005, and SWM4-DP) for describing the structure of concentrated aqueous lithium chloride solutions. Classical molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out and total scattering structure factors, calculated from the particle configurations, were compared with experimental diffraction data. Later, reverse Monte Carlo structural modelling was applied for refining molecular dynamics results, so that particle configurations consistent with neutron and X-ray diffraction data could be prepared that, at the same time, were as close as possible to the final stage of the molecular dynamics simulations. Partial radial distribution functions, first neighbors, and angular correlations were analysed further from the best fitting particle configurations. It was found that none of the water potential models describe the structure perfectly; overall, the SWM4-DP model seems to be the most promising. At the highest concentrations the SPC/E model appears to provide the best approximation of the water structure, whereas the TIP4P-2005 model proved to be the most successful for estimating the lithium-oxygen partial radial distribution function at each concentration.