Dipolar Hard Spheres Research Articles

The chemical potential of a dipole in dipolar solvent at infinite dilution: Mean spherical approximation and Monte Carlo simulation

A new analytical expression was derived for the chemical potential of a hard sphere dipole in hard sphere dipole fluid at infinite dilution of the solute using the mean spherical approximation (MSA). A set of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations has been carried out to investigate the scope of applicability of the derived equation. The mean reaction field (MRF) approach was used in our MC computations. Two different MC methods (Widom particle insertion and thermodynamic integration) were applied for obtaining the chemical potential change associated with the dipole creation at the solute particle to provide adequate accuracy of the MC simulations. Also, corresponding changes in the mean potential energy were calculated by direct method and by thermodynamic integration. The solvation energies have been obtained for the systems of dipolar hard spheres with reduced dipole moment 1.0 at the reduced densities 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8. Computations have been made for solute particles with the reduced dipole moment varied from 0.0 to 1.5 and the hard sphere diameter varied from 0.5 to 2.0. The variation of those quantities with the molecular parameters was analyzed and compared with the MSA equation and Kirkwood classical expressions. It was found that the MSA calculations agree relatively well with MC simulations at densities less than 0.5 and solute dipole moment less than 1.0.

A molecular Debye-Hückel theory of solvation in polar fluids: An extension of the Born model.

A dielectric response theory of solvation beyond the conventional Born model for polar fluids is presented. The dielectric response of a polar fluid is described by a Born response mode and a linear combination of Debye-Hückel-like response modes that capture the nonlocal response of polar fluids. The Born mode is characterized by a bulk dielectric constant, while a Debye-Hückel mode is characterized by its corresponding Debye screening length. Both the bulk dielectric constant and the Debye screening lengths are determined from the bulk dielectric function of the polar fluid. The linear combination coefficients of the response modes are evaluated in a self-consistent way and can be used to evaluate the electrostatic contribution to the thermodynamic properties of a polar fluid. Our theory is applied to a dipolar hard sphere fluid as well as interaction site models of polar fluids such as water, where the electrostatic contribution to their thermodynamic properties can be obtained accurately.

Dipolar Crystals: The Crucial Role of the Clinohexagonal Prism Phase.

We report a new phase called clinohexagonal prism (CHP) that accounts for all the ground states of dipolar hard spheres prepared at any density. This phase merely consists of an oblique prismatic lattice with a hexagonal base. Our calculations show that at intermediate densities, a special close packed body-centered orthorhombic phase coincides with the CHP phase in the ground state for a wide density window. In the high packing regime, i.e., in the vicinity of the density of the hexagonal close packed phase, it is a limiting case of the CHP phase with vanishing obliquity that emerges. These findings provide a unified and clarified view of the solid-solid transitions occurring at zero temperature in dipolar systems and should be relevant in other related molecular or soft matter systems governed by anisotropic (and possibly isotropic) soft potentials.

New solid phase of dipolar systems

The systems of molecules with a permanent dipole moment have solid phases with various crystal symmetries. In particular, the solid phases of the simplest of these systems, the dipolar hard sphere model, have been extensively studied in the literature. The article presents Monte Carlo simulation results which, at low temperature, point to the stability of a polarized solid phase of dipolar hard spheres with the unusual number of eleven nearest neighbors, the so-called primitive tetragonal packing or tetragonal close packing.

Evaluation of second and third dielectric virial coefficients for non-polarisable molecular models

ABSTRACTThe dielectric constant, ε, of a dilute vapour can be estimated from the dielectric virial equation of state (VEOS), but the long-ranged nature of the electrostatic interactions complicates the evaluation of coefficients of this series. We propose a formulation of the second and third dielectric coefficients of a general non-polarisable molecular model that permits their reliable calculation using Mayer sampling Monte Carlo. We demonstrate for three models: dipolar hard spheres, dipolar Lennard–Jones, and TIP4P water. The coefficients are used to compute ε for each model as a function of density, which are compared to molecular-simulation data. The form of the VEOS relating ε to density depends on the dielectric constant ε′ of the embedding medium. Three choices are examined: vacuum (ε′ = 1), self-consistent (ε′ = ε) and tin foil (ε′ = ∞). The vacuum-boundary form is found to be unreliable, losing accuracy at low density and yielding divergent results for ε at moderate densities. In contrast, the series formulated using the tin-foil boundary produces accurate and stable values of ε for almost all conditions and models examined here, even when truncated at second order (which itself is shown to be a large improvement over the first-order Clausius–Mossotti–Debye formula).

Free energy calculations for rings and chains formed by dipolar hard spheres

We employ a method based on Monte Carlo grand-canonical simulations to precisely calculate partition functions of non-interacting chains and rings formed by dipolar hard spheres (DHS) at low temperature. The extended low temperature region offered by such cluster calculations, compared to what had been previously achieved with standard simulations, opens up the possibility of exploring a part of the DHS phase diagram which was inaccessible before. The reported results offer the unique opportunity of verifying well-established theoretical models based on the ideal gas of cluster approximation in order to clarify their range of validity. They also provide the basis for future studies in which cluster-cluster interactions will be included.

Semiclassical Theory for Low Density Properties of Polar Hard D-Sphere Fluid Mixtures

In the present paper, expansions are obtained for density-independent pair distribution function and second virial coefficient for D-dimensional molecular fluid mixtures of dipolar hard D-spheres in the semiclassical limit. Numerical results for the second virial coefficient are also estimated for binary mixture of (i) hard spheres and dipolar hard spheres and (ii) hard discs and dipolar hard discs. It is found that the quantum effects increase with increase of dipole moment μ2 as well as the concentration x2. The purpose of the present work is to develop a theory for calculating the low density properties of the polar hard D-sphere fluid mixture in the semiclassical limit. We have also developed the theory for estimating the quantum corrections to the density independent pair distribution function (PDF) and second virial coefficient of the polar D-sphere fluid mixtures.Academic Voices Vol.5 2015: 48-55

Theoretical study of the dynamic magnetic response of ferrofluid to static and alternating magnetic fields

The dynamic magnetic response of ferrofluid in a static uniform external magnetic field to a weak, linear polarized, alternating magnetic field is investigated theoretically. The ferrofluid is modeled as a system of dipolar hard spheres, suspended in a long cylindrical tube whose long axis is parallel to the direction of the static and alternating magnetic fields. The theory is based on the Fokker-Planck-Brown equation formulated for the case when the both static and alternating magnetic fields are applied. The solution of the Fokker-Planck-Brown equation describing the orientational probability density of a randomly chosen dipolar particle is expressed as a series in terms of the spherical Legendre polynomials. The obtained analytical expression connecting three neighboring coefficients of the series makes possible to determine the probability density with any order of accuracy in terms of Legendre polynomials. The analytical formula for the probability density truncated at the first Legendre polynomial is evaluated and used for the calculation of the magnetization and dynamic susceptibility spectra. In the absence of the static magnetic field the presented theory gives the correct single-particle Debye-theory result, which is the exact solution of the Fokker-Planck-Brown equation for the case of applied weak alternating magnetic field. The influence of the static magnetic field on the dynamic susceptibility is analyzed in terms of the low-frequency behavior of the real part and the position of the peak in the imaginary part.

Chemical potential of model electrolyte solutions consisting of hard sphere ions and hard dipoles from molecular simulations

Mixtures of charged and dipolar hard spheres are important models for electrolyte solutions, in particular for developing molecular-based fluid theories. This study presents data for the ionic chemical potential from Monte Carlo simulations for mixtures where charged and dipolar hard spheres have the same diameter. Earlier simulation studies of this model focus on Helmholtz energy and internal energy. The chemical potential is a sensitive quantity for assessing and refining fluid theories and it is the determining quantity for calculating phase equilibria. We provide chemical potentials for different dipole moments, ionic charges, ion concentrations, and liquid-like densities. The data is obtained by two methods, a multistage sampling scheme as well as expanded ensemble transition matrix method. A system size study shows that standard Ewald summation is a valid method for calculating the chemical potential from molecular simulations and we ensure that finite size effects are negligible for the presented data.

Thermodynamic and magnetic properties of ferrofluids in external uniform magnetic field

The work is devoted to the theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic and magnetic properties of ferrofluids in applied magnetic field. Analytical expressions for the second and the third virial coefficients of dipolar hard spheres model were obtained by using the least-squares approximation to the simulation data (Elfimova et al., 2013 [4]). The expressions for the virial coefficients are presented as functions of the dipolar coupling constant λ and the Langevin parameter α . The analytical formulas for the virial coefficients were incorporated in to so-called logarithmic free energy theory (Elfimova et al., 2012 [8]). This theory yields the Helmholtz free energy and the magnetization. The comparison between theory and computer simulation shows good agreement for λ⩽2.The analytical expression of the Helmholtz free energy was also used to obtain a sedimentation equilibrium concentration profile of ferroparticles subjected to uniform magnetic and gravitational fields.

Corresponding-states behavior of a dipolar model fluid with variable dispersion interactions and its relevance to the anomalies of hydrogen fluoride.

More than two decades ago, the elusiveness of a liquid-vapor equilibrium and a corresponding critical point in simulations of the supposedly simple model of dipolar hard spheres came as a surprise to many liquid matter theorists. van Leeuwen and Smit [Phys. Rev. Lett. 71, 3991 (1993)] showed that a minimum of attractive dispersion interactions among the dipolar particles may be needed to observe regular fluid behavior. Here, we adopt their approach and use an only slightly modified model, in which the original point dipole is replaced by a dipole moment produced by charges that are separated in space, to study the influence of dispersion interactions of variable strength on the coexistence and interfacial properties of a polar fluid. The thermophysical properties are discussed in terms of Guggenheim's corresponding-states approach. In this way, the coexistence curve, the critical compressibility factor, the surface tension, Guggenheim's ratio, and modifications of Guldberg's and Trouton's rules (related to the vapor pressure and the enthalpy of vaporization) are analyzed. As the importance of dispersion is decreased, a crossover from simple-fluid behavior to that characteristic of strongly dipolar systems takes place; for some properties, this transition is monotonic, but for others it occurs non-monotonically. For strongly dipolar systems, the reduced surface tension is very low, whereas Guggenheim's ratio and Guldberg's ratio are found to be high. The critical compressibility factor is smaller, and the coexistence curve is wider and more skewed than for simple fluids. For very weak dispersion, liquid-vapor equilibrium is still observable, but the interfacial tension is extremely low and may, eventually, vanish marking the end of the existence of a liquid phase. We discuss the implications of our findings for real fluids, in particular, for hydrogen fluoride.

Polar-solvation classical density-functional theory for electrolyte aqueous solutions near a wall.

A precise description of the structural and dielectric properties of liquid water is critical to understanding the physicochemical properties of solutes in electrolyte solutions. In this article, a mixture of ionic and dipolar hard spheres is considered to account for water crowding and polarization effects on ionic electrical double layers near a uniformly charged hard wall. As a unique feature, solvent hard spheres carrying a dipole at their centers were used to model water molecules at experimentally known concentration, molecule size, and dipolar moment. The equilibrium ionic and dipole density profiles of this electrolyte aqueous model were calculated using a polar-solvation classical density-functional theory (PSCDFT). These profiles were used to calculate the charge density distribution, water polarization, dielectric permittivity function, and mean electric potential profiles as well as differential capacitance, excess adsorptions, and wall-fluid surface tension. These results were compared with those corresponding to the pure dipolar model and unpolar primitive solvent model of electrolyte aqueous solutions to understand the role that water crowding and polarization effects play on the structural and thermodynamic properties of these systems. Overall, PSCDFT predictions are in agreement with available experimental data.

Fourth and fifth virial coefficients and thermodynamic properties of the dipolar hard sphere fluids in zero external magnetic field

Analytical expressions of the fourth and the fifth virial coefficients for the dipole hard sphere fluid in zero external magnetic field are obtained on the basis of numerical results of Mayer-sampling calculations. The virial coefficients are incorporated in to the so-called logarithmic free energy (LFE) theory [E.A. Elfimova, A.O. Ivanov, P.J. Camp, Phys. Rev. E, 86, 021126 (2012)]. In this theory, the virial expansion of the Helmholtz free energy is re-summed into a logarithmic function. The argument of the logarithm is a polynomial expansion in density with coefficients chosen to give the first few terms in the conventional virial expansion. The theoretical predictions of the thermodynamic functions based on the LFE theory that accounts five virial coefficients are compared critically with published results from Monte Carlo simulations, conventional virial expansion, and known theory based on Padé approximation [G.S. Rushbrooke, G. Stell, J.S. Hoye, Mol. Phys., 26, 1199 (1973)]. It is shown that the LFE theory accurately captures computer simulation results for dipolar coupling constant λ ≤ 4, even at the highest value of the particle volume fraction φ ≲ 0.5, and outperforms thermodynamic theories mentioned above.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by oppositely charged colloids: Stability and pattern formation.

A binary mixture of oppositely charged colloids can be used to stabilize water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsions. A Monte Carlo simulation study to address the effect of charge ratio of colloids on the stability of Pickering emulsions is presented. The colloidal particles at the interface are modeled as aligned dipolar hard spheres, with attractive interaction between unlike-charged and repulsive interaction between like-charged particles. The optimum composition (fraction of positively charged particles) required for the stabilization corresponds to a minimum in the interaction energy per particle. In addition, for each charge ratio, there is a range of compositions where emulsions can be stabilized. The structural arrangement of particles or the pattern formation at the emulsion interface is strongly influenced by the charge ratio. We find well-mixed isotropic, square, and hexagonal arrangements of particles on the emulsion surface for different compositions at a given charge ratio. The distribution of coordination numbers is calculated to characterize structural features. The simulation study is useful for the rational design of Pickering emulsifications wherein oppositely charged colloids are used, and for the control of pattern formation that can be useful for the synthesis of colloidosomes and porous shells derived thereof.

Thermodynamics of Bidisperse Ferrofluids in Zero External Magnetic Field: Theory and Simulations

The thermodynamic properties of a ferrofluid modeled by a bidisperse system of dipolar hard spheres in the absence of external magnetic field are investigated using theory and simulations. The theory is based on the virial expansion of the Helmholtz free energy in terms of particle volume concentration. Comparison between the theoretical predictions and simulation data shows a great agreement of the results.

Structure Properties in a Bidisperse Ferrofluid in the Absence of an External Magnetic Field

The structure properties of a ferrofluid modeled by a bidisperse system of dipolar hardspheres are studied theoretically for the case of zero external field. Analytical expressions are providedfor the pair distribution function (PDF) and structure factor (SF) to within the first order in numberdensity and the second order in dipole-dipole interaction strength. The influence of the granulometriccomposition on the behavior of the PDF and the position of the first peak of the SF is analyzed.

Electrostatics on the sphere with applications to Monte Carlo simulations of two dimensional polar fluids

We present two methods for solving the electrostatics of point charges and multipoles on the surface of a sphere, i.e., in the space S2, with applications to numerical simulations of two-dimensional (2D) polar fluids. In the first approach, point charges are associated with uniform neutralizing backgrounds to form neutral pseudo-charges, while in the second, one instead considers bi-charges, i.e., dumbells of antipodal point charges of opposite signs. We establish the expressions of the electric potentials of pseudo- and bi-charges as isotropic solutions of the Laplace-Beltrami equation in S2. A multipolar expansion of pseudo- and bi-charge potentials leads to the electric potentials of mono- and bi-multipoles, respectively. These potentials constitute non-isotropic solutions of the Laplace-Beltrami equation, the general solution of which in spherical coordinates is recast under a new appealing form. We then focus on the case of mono- and bi-dipoles and build the theory of dielectric media in S2. We notably obtain the expression of the static dielectric constant of a uniform isotropic polar fluid living in S2 in terms of the polarization fluctuations of subdomains of S2. We also derive the long range behavior of the equilibrium pair correlation function under the assumption that it is governed by macroscopic electrostatics. These theoretical developments find their application in Monte Carlo simulations of the 2D fluid of dipolar hard spheres. Some preliminary numerical experiments are discussed with a special emphasis on finite size effects, a careful study of the thermodynamic limit, and a check of the theoretical predictions for the asymptotic behavior of the pair correlation function.

Effect of an external field on the structure and the phase transitions of a confined mixture of neutral and dipolar hard spheres

We study by Monte Carlo simulation the model of a binary mixture of neutral and dipolar hard spheres confined between two widely separated planar walls and subjected to a uniform external field. The goal is to investigate the structural response and the phase transitions of a fluid of hard-sphere-like colloids dispersed in a low-permittivity solvent under the combined effect of geometrical confinement and applied field. In a wide slab, the direction of the field, either normal or perpendicular to the walls, remains one of the most important factors that govern the response of the mixture: in normal field, a wide variety of structural effects are evidenced, including partial wetting or drying of the wall; in parallel field, phase separation is favoured with a specific population of the region close to the wall and a clear separation of the two species. These results suggest possible means to modulate the response of the confined fluid for specific needs.

Low temperature structural transitions in dipolar hard spheres: The influence on magnetic properties

We investigate the structural chain-to-ring transition at low temperature in a gas of dipolar hard spheres (DHS). Due to the weakening of entropic contribution, ring formation becomes noticeable when the effective dipole–dipole magnetic interaction increases. It results in the redistribution of particles from usually observed flexible chains into flexible rings. The concentration (ρ) of DHS plays a crucial part in this transition: at a very low ρ only chains and rings are observed, whereas even a slight increase of the volume fraction leads to the formation of branched or defect structures. As a result, the fraction of DHS aggregated in defect-free rings turns out to be a non-monotonic function of ρ. The average ring size is found to be a slower increasing function of ρ when compared to that of chains. Both theory and computer simulations confirm the dramatic influence of the ring formation on the ρ-dependence of the initial magnetic susceptibility (χ) when the temperature decreases. The rings due to their zero total dipole moment are irresponsive to a weak magnetic field and drive to the strong decrease of the initial magnetic susceptibility.

A new dipolar potential for numerical simulations of polar fluids on the 4D hypersphere.

We present a new method for Monte Carlo or Molecular Dynamics numerical simulations of three-dimensional polar fluids. The simulation cell is defined to be the surface of the northern hemisphere of a four-dimensional (hyper)sphere. The point dipoles are constrained to remain tangent to the sphere and their interactions are derived from the basic laws of electrostatics in this geometry. The dipole-dipole potential has two singularities which correspond to the following boundary conditions: when a dipole leaves the northern hemisphere at some point of the equator, it reappears at the antipodal point bearing the same dipole moment. We derive all the formal expressions needed to obtain the thermodynamic and structural properties of a polar liquid at thermal equilibrium in actual numerical simulation. We notably establish the expression of the static dielectric constant of the fluid as well as the behavior of the pair correlation at large distances. We report and discuss the results of extensive numerical Monte Carlo simulations for two reference states of a fluid of dipolar hard spheres and compare these results with previous methods with a special emphasis on finite size effects.