Possible mechanisms of dielectric relaxation of liquid water and calculation of the temperature dependence of the complex permittivity of water

Abstract

The spectra of the complex dielectric permittivity and absorption of water (H2O) in the frequency range 0–1000 cm−1 are calculated for a wide temperature interval. Using the method of autocorrelation functions, the dielectric response of dipoles rotating in potential wells of three types is found. The majority of dipoles (about 90%) rotate in a deep and comparatively narrow potential well, whose profile resembles an upside-down hat. Such a potential models a molecular structure with strongly bent and/or broken hydrogen bonds. The hat model describes the complex permittivity in the low-frequency (Debye) range and in the range 300–1000 cm−1. The remaining dipoles (∼10%) execute harmonic vibrations of two types: rotational vibrations about the equilibrium direction of a hydrogen bond and translational vibrations along this direction. These types of motion yield the dielectric response in the frequency range 10–300 cm−1. This response is described by the Lorentz lines in terms of the harmonic oscillator model and the truncated parabola model. The hat–harmonic oscillator–truncated parabola composite model provides good agreement with experimental spectra. The lifetimes of the three types of motion considered are about 10, 0.2, and 0.05 ps, respectively. They characterize (i) tetrahedral translations of molecules accompanied by their rotations, (ii) librations of dipoles in the hatlike potential well, and (iii) elastic interactions of hydrogen-bonded molecules. Based on data of independent methods of investigation, it is concluded that the temperature 300 K is a singular point with respect to the properties of liquid water.