Diffusion Behavior Of Water Molecules Research Articles

Molecular and condition parameters dependent diffusion coefficient of water in poly(vinyl alcohol): a molecular dynamics simulation study

Diffusion behavior of water molecules in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and the diffusion coefficient of water molecules in PVA was calculated based on the Einstein’s relation. The effects of polymerization degree, temperature, density, and pressure on the diffusion coefficient were conducted to gain insights into their diffusion mechanisms under different processing conditions. The results showed that the simulation data of diffusion coefficient was consistent with experimental values. With the increase of polymerization degree of PVA, the diffusion coefficient began with a sharp decrease and then became stable, while the diffusion coefficient increased with increasing temperature. It was also found that PVA matrix with a smaller cell density had a larger free volume, and then, the diffusion coefficient was larger. The H2O sorption isotherm could be described by the Langmuir sorption isotherm, and the diffusion coefficient decreased with the increase of pressure.

Structural and water diffusion of poly(acryl amide)/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend films: Experiment and molecular dynamics simulations

To study the effects of composition ratios and temperature on the diffusion of water molecules in PVA/PAM blend films, five simulation models of PVA/PAM with ten water molecules at different composition ratios (4/0, 3/1, 2/2, 1/3, 0/4) were constructed and simulated by using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The diffusion behavior of water molecules in blends were investigated from the aspects of the diffusion coefficient, free volume, pair correlation function (PCF) and trajectories of water molecules, respectively. And the hydrophilicity of blend composite was studied based on the contact angle and equilibrium water content (EWC) of the blend films. The simulation results show that the diffusion coefficient of water molecules and fractional free volume (FFV) of blend membranes increase with the addition of PAM, and a higher temperature can also improve the diffusion of water molecules. Additionally, the analysis of PCFs reveals the main reason why the diffusion coefficient of water in blend system increases with the addition of PAM. The measurement results of contact angle and EWC of blend films indicate that the hydrophilicity of blend films decreases with the addition of PAM, but the EWC of blends increases with the addition of PAM.

Analysis of pH-dependent Structure and Mass Transfer Characteristics of Polydopamine Membranes by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Detailed atomistic structures are constructed for polydopamine membranes containing different amounts of catechol and quinone groups to investigate the effect of pH value in the membrane casting solution on sorption and diffusion of small gas molecules (water and propylene) in the membranes. Interactions between dopamine oligomers are calculated, and it is found that the interactions decrease from −2356.52kJ·mol−1 in DOP-1 to −1586.69kJ·mol−1 in DOP-3 when all of the catechol groups are converted to quinone groups. The mobility of polymer segments and free volume properties of polydopamine membranes are analyzed. The sorption quantities of water and propylene in the membrane are calculated using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo method. The sorption results show that water adsorbed in DOP-1, DOP-2 and DOP-3 are 17.3, 18.6 and 20.0mg water per gram polymer, respectively, and no propylene molecule can be adsorbed. The diffusion behavior of water molecules in the membrane is investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The diffusion coefficients of water molecules in DOP-1, DOP-2 and DOP-3 membranes are (1.80±0.52)×10−11, (3.40±0.64)×10−11 and (4.50±0.92)×10−11m2·s−1, respectively. The predicted sorption quantities and diffusion coefficients of water and propylene in the membrane present the same trends as those from experimental results.

MOLECULAR DYNAMICS STUDY OF THE DISRUPTION OF H-BONDS BY WATER MOLECULES AND ITS DIFFUSION BEHAVIOR IN AMORPHOUS CELLULOSE

Hydrolysis is an important component of the aging of cellulose, and it severely affects the insulating performance of cellulosic materials. The diffusion behavior of water molecules in amorphous cellulose and their destructive effect on the hydrogen bonding structure of cellulose were investigated by molecular dynamics. The change in the hydrogen bonding structure indicates that water molecules have a considerable effect on the hydrogen bonding structure within cellulose: both intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonds decreased with an increase in ingressive water molecules. Moreover, the stabilities of the cellulose molecules were disrupted when the number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds declined to a certain degree. Both the free volumes of amorphous cells and water molecule-cellulose interaction affect the diffusion of water molecules. The latter, especially the hydrogen bonding interaction between water molecules and cellulose, plays a predominant role in the diffusion behavior of water molecules in the models of which the free volume rarely varies. The diffusion coefficient of water molecules has an excellent correlation with water molecule-cellulose interaction and the average hydrogen bonds between each water molecule and cellulose; however, this relationship was not apparent between the diffusion coefficient and free volume.

Molecular dynamics study of water molecule diffusion in oil–paper insulation materials

Moisture is an important factor that influences the safe operation of transformers. In this study, molecular dynamics was employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of water molecules in the oil–paper insulation materials of transformers. Two oil–cellulose models were built. In the first model, water molecules were initially distributed in oil, and in the second model, water molecules were distributed in cellulose. The non-bonding energies of interaction between water molecules and oil, and between water molecules and cellulose, were calculated by the Dreiding force field. The interaction energy was found to play a dominant role in influencing the equilibrium distribution of water molecules. The radial direction functions of water molecules toward oil and cellulose indicate that the hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose are sufficiently strong to withstand the operating temperature of the transformer. Mean-square displacement analysis of water molecules diffusion suggests that water molecules initially distributed in oil showed anisotropic diffusion; they tended to diffuse toward cellulose. Water molecules initially distributed in cellulose diffused isotropically. This study provides a theoretical contribution for improvements in online monitoring of water in transformers, and for subsequent research on new insulation materials.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Diffusion Behavior of Water Molecules in Oil and Cellulose Composite Media

The diffusion behaviors of water molecules in oil-cellulose composite media were studied at different temperatures using a molecular dynamics simulation. By analyzing the formation of hydrogen bonds between the water molecules and cellulose we found that the water molecules that were initially present in the oil gradually spread to the cellulose, and hydrogen bonds were formed between them. The water molecules that were present in the cellulose initially also formed hydrogen bonds and were bound to cellulose molecules. By analyzing the diffusion coefficients of the water molecules at different temperatures we found that the diffusion behaviors of the water molecules in the two single-media, namely oil and cellulose, were very different because of their different polarities. The diffusion coefficients of the water molecules in the composite media were influenced greatly by the ratio of water molecules present in the oil and cellulose and a strong correlation was apparent between them. The water molecule-oil interaction energy and the water molecule-cellulose interaction energy were also strongly related to the polarities of the oil and the cellulose. The interaction energies also exhibited a strong correlation to the distribution of water molecules at different temperatures. This was the reason for the weakened influence of temperature on the diffusion coefficient of the water molecules, which was due to the different distributions of water molecules at different temperatures.

PFG-NMR Study for Evaluating Freezing Damage to Onion Tissue

We assessed the damage to onion tissue due to freeze-thawing as the water permeability determined by using PFG-NMR and light microscopy. The water diffusion in fresh onion tissue was restricted due to cellular barriers, and the estimated water permeability was 6.99 x 10(-6)m/s. The water diffusion became considerably less restricted after freeze-thawing; the convergent value for the restricted diffusion coefficient increased and the water permeability significantly increased to 2.85 x 10(-5) m/s. While NMR could detect a distinct change in the diffusion behavior of water molecules in freeze-thawed tissue, light microscopy revealed no significant tissue damage. These results suggest that freeze-thawing damaged the vegetable tissues primarily through destruction of the cell membrane rather than the cell wall.

Local tissue anisotropy decreases in cerebellopetal fibers and pyramidal tract in multiple system atrophy

One of the cardinal features in multiple system atrophy (MSA) is the white matter pathology: loss of myelin, astrocytosis, and glial cytoplasmic inclusions. The pathological changes of tissue microstructure can modify the diffusion behavior of water molecules, which can be assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). To explore the hypothesis of white matter degeneration in MSA. We studied 11 patients with clinically probable MSA and 10 age-matched controls. DTI was performed in both groups to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) in various regions of interest: the inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP), middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP), superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP), basis pontis, internal capsule, and corpus callosum. FA values in SCP and corpus callosum showed no significant difference between the MSA group and controls. By contrast, FA values decreased in the MSA group in the MCP, basis pontis and internal capsule. In addition, FA values in the MCP were negatively correlated with ataxia severity in the MSA group. The areas showing decreased tissue anisotropy in DTI corresponded well with pathologically vulnerable areas in MSA. In addition, the local tissue anisotropy of MCP decreased in accordance with functional disability. These observations implied that DTI is a feasible method for in vivo evaluation of the white matter pathology in MSA.