Influence of dispersive long-range interactions on properties of vapour–liquid equilibria and interfaces of binary Lennard-Jones mixtures

Abstract

The influence of dispersive long-range interactions on properties of vapour–liquid equilibria and interfaces of six binary Lennard-Jones (LJ) mixtures was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density gradient theory (DGT). The mixtures were investigated at a constant temperature T, at which the low-boiling component, which is the same in all mixtures, is subcritical. Two different high-boiling components were considered: one is subcritical, the other is supercritical at T. Furthermore, the unlike dispersive interaction was varied such that mixtures with three different types of phase behaviour were obtained: ideal, low-boiling azeotrope, and high-boiling azeotrope. In a first series of simulations, the full LJ potential was used to describe these mixtures. To assess the influence of the long-range interactions, these results were compared with simulations carried out with the LJ truncated and shifted (LJTS) potential applying the corresponding states principle. The dispersive long-range interactions have a significant influence on the surface tension and the interfacial thickness of the studied mixtures, whereas the relative adsorption and the enrichment are hardly affected. Furthermore, the influence of the long-range interactions on Henry's law constants and the phase envelopes of the vapour–liquid equilibrium was investigated. The long-range interactions have practically no influence on the composition dependency of the investigated mixture properties.