Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Oil–Water Interface Behavior of Modified Graphene Oxide and Its Effect on Interfacial Phenomena

Abstract

Graphene oxide, as a new two-dimensional material, has a large specific surface area, high thermal stability, excellent mechanical stability and exhibits hydrophilic properties. By combining the carboxyl groups on the surface of graphene oxide with hydrophilic groups, surfactant-like polymers can be obtained. In this paper, based on the molecular dynamics method combined with the first nature principle, we first determine the magnitude of the binding energy of three different coupling agents—alkylamines, silane coupling agents, and haloalkanes—and analytically obtain the characteristics of the soft reaction. The high stability of alkylamines and graphene oxide modified by cetylamine, oil, and water models was also established. Then, three different chain lengths of simulated oil, modified graphene oxide–water solution, and oil-modified graphene oxide–water systems were established, and finally, the self-aggregation phenomenon and molecular morphology changes in modified graphene oxide at the oil–water interface were observed by an all-atom molecular dynamics model. The density profile, interfacial formation energy, diffusion coefficient and oil–water interfacial tension of modified graphene oxide molecules (NGOs) at three different temperatures of 300 K, 330 K, and 360 K were analyzed, as well as the relationship between the reduced interfacial tension and enhanced oil recovery (EOR).