Water molecules in beryl and cordierite: high-temperature vibrational behavior,dehydration, and coordination to cations

Natural samples of typical cyclosilicates beryl and cordierite include water and carbon dioxide molecules in channels formed by the open cavities. Water molecules in the channels have two forms that are distinguished by whether they coordinate to extra-framework cations (type II) or not (type I). We measured polarized infrared (IR) spectra for thin sections of the (100) plane of beryl or the (100) and (010) planes (cb and ca planes) of cordierite under various temperature conditions. The spectral features of major bands clearly showed the distinguishable behavior of types I and II water molecules under high temperature as follows. Over the temperature range from room temperature to 800°C where rapid dehydration did not occur, the decrease in band heights for type II water molecules were smaller than those for type I, and band shifts were more predominant for type II water molecules. The decrease in band heights and band shifts of type I/II bands differed also for beryl and cordierite, which arises from the different ways in which water molecules are fixed in the channels. Dehydration was enhanced at 850°C. The IR spectra at room temperature quenched from 850°C both for beryl and cordierite showed that the vibrational bands related to type II water molecules were stable after those related to type I water molecules disappeared. In addition, frequency changes of type II bands were observed, possibly because of changes of coordination states of type II water molecules to extra-framework cations in the channels.     

Animated molecular dynamics simulations of hydrated caesium-smectite interlayers

Computer animation of center of mass coordinates obtained from 800 ps molecular dynamics simulations of Cs-smectite hydrates (1/3 and 2/3 water monolayers) provided information concerning the structure and dynamics of the interlayer region that could not be obtained through traditional simulation analysis methods. Cs⁺ formed inner sphere complexes with the mineral surface, and could be seen to jump from one attracting location near a layer charge site to the next, while water molecules were observed to migrate from the hydration shell of one ion to that of another. Neighboring ions maintained a partial hydration shell by sharing water molecules, such that a single water molecule hydrated two ions simultaneously for hundreds of picoseconds. Cs-montmorillonite hydrates featured the largest extent of this sharing interaction, because interlayer ions were able to inhabit positions near surface cavities as well as at their edges, close to oxygen triads. The greater positional freedom of Cs⁺ within the montmorillonite interlayer, a result of structural hydroxyl orientation and low tetrahedral charge, promoted the optimization of distances between cations and water molecules required for water sharing. Preference of Cs⁺ for locations near oxygen triads was observed within interlayer beidellite and hectorite. Water molecules also could be seen to interact directly with the mineral surface, entering its surface cavities to approach attracting charge sites and structural hydroxyls. With increasing water content, water molecules exhibited increased frequency and duration of both cavity habitation and water sharing interactions. Competition between Cs⁺ and water molecules for surface sites was evident. These important cooperative and competitive features of interlayer molecular behavior were uniquely revealed by animation of an otherwise highly complex simulation output.     

Molecular models of a hydrated calcite mineral surface

Hydrated mineral surfaces play an important role in many processes in biological, geological, and industrial applications. An energy force field was developed for molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations of hydrated carbonate minerals and was applied to investigate the behavior of water on the calcite surface. The force field is a significant development for large-scale molecular simulations of these systems, and provides good agreement with experimental and previous modeling results. Simulations indicate that water molecules are significantly ordered near the calcite surface. The predominant surface configuration (75-80%) results from coordination of a water molecule with a single calcium cation-carbonate anion pair, while the less common situation involves water coordination with two ion pairs. Surface restructuring and variation in coordination in the water layers results in distinct distances for water oxygens above the calcite surface—a two-component first monolayer (2.3 and 3.0 Å) and a secondary monolayer (5.0 Å). The different coordinations also alter lateral displacement, hydrogen bonding, and surface-normal orientation of the water molecules. The ordering of water molecules and the formation of a unique hydrogen bonding network at the calcite surface influence the physical properties of the interfacial water. Surface exchange of water molecules is observed by molecular dynamics simulation to occur at a rate of one exchange per 10 ps. Diffusion coefficients derived from mean square displacement analysis of atomic trajectories indicate a dependence of water transport based on the distance of the water molecules from the calcite surface.     

Structure and dynamics of water on Li-, Na-, K-, Cs-, H3O-exchanged muscovite surfaces: A molecular dynamics study

The distribution and dynamics of water molecules and monovalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, and H₃O⁺) on muscovite surfaces were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The direct comparison of calculated X-ray reflectivity profiles and electron density profiles with experiments revealed the precise structure at the aqueous monovalent electrolyte solutions/muscovite interface. To explain the experimentally observed electron density profiles for the CsCl solution-muscovite interface, the co-adsorption of Cs⁺ and Cl⁻ ion pairs would be necessary. Two types of inner-sphere complexes and one type of outer-sphere complex were observed for hydrated Li⁺ ions near the muscovite surface. For Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, and H₃O⁺ ions, the inner-sphere complexes were stable on the muscovite surface. The density oscillation of water molecules was observed to approximately 1.5 nm from the muscovite surface. The number of peaks and the locations for the density of water oxygen atoms were almost similar among the water molecules coordinated to Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and H₃O⁺ ions adsorbed on the muscovite surfaces. The water molecules around Cs⁺ ions that were adsorbed to muscovite surfaces seemed to avoid coordinating with Cs⁺ ions on the surface, and the density of water oxygen near the muscovite surface decreased relative to that in a bulk state. There was no significant difference in self-diffusion, viscosity, retention time, and reorientation time of water molecules among different cations adsorbed to muscovite surfaces. These translational and rotational motions of water molecules located at less than 1 nm from the muscovite surfaces were slower than those in a bulk state. A significant difference was observed for the exchange times of water molecules around monovalent cations. The exchange time of water molecules was long around Li⁺ ions and decreased with an increase in the ionic radius.     

Water structure at hematite-water interfaces

The atomic-level structure of water at mineral surfaces is an important controlling factor in interfacial reactions such as foreign ion incorporation, crystal growth and dissolution, and redox reactions. Molecular dynamics simulations with four different models based on interatomic potentials have been carried out to determine the atomic-level structure of three hematite-water interfaces. In addition, for each of the three surfaces, different terminations or protonation schemes were considered. The availability of surface X-ray scattering data for the surfaces considered here allowed for an extensive comparison with experimental data. Qualitatively, with the exception of one termination with one model, all models predict the correct arrangement of water molecules at the interface. Quantitatively, the agreement with experimental positions, distances, and layer occupancies is good to excellent, especially given the range of values reported in published experimental studies. Therefore, this study provides further evidence that interatomic potential models can be used to reliably predict the structure of mineral-water interfaces. In addition, molecular simulations are a valuable source of information to complement surface X-ray scattering experiments owing to their ability to directly determine the position of hydrogen atoms and to yield three-dimensional predicted structures at no added cost, as demonstrated in this work. Indeed, the molecular dynamics trajectories were analyzed to determine the surface structural controls on the interfacial water structure. Each of the three surface functional groups present at the surfaces considered in this work, namely, triply-coordinated oxo, doubly-coordinated hydroxo, and singly-coordinated aquo groups, was found to form similar hydrogen bond configurations with adsorbed water molecules at all surfaces. Oxo groups accept long-lasting and linear hydrogen bonds from adsorbed water molecules; hydroxo groups can form hydrogen bonds with other surface functional groups as well as with adsorbed water molecules; and aquo groups normally only donate hydrogen bonds to other surface groups or adsorbed water molecules. Additionally, the majority of adsorbed water molecules were found to adopt multiple configurations and orientations. This information was used to evaluate three-dimensional structural models of the interfaces, which were previously derived experimentally from one-dimensional electron density profiles and steric considerations.     

Hydrogen isotope exchange kinetics between H2O and H4SiO4 from ab initio calculations

Hydrogen isotope exchange between water and orthosilicic acid (H₄SiO₄) was modeled using B3LYP calculations and classical transition-state theory. Configurations of 1, 2, 3 and 7 water molecules and H₄SiO₄ were used to investigate energetically viable reaction pathways. An upper-bound of 71 kJ/mol was assumed for the zero-point energy corrected barrier (ZPECB) because this is the experimentally determined activation energy for Si-O bond breaking (Rimstidt and Barnes, 1980) and ZPECB is expected to be close to this value. Long range solvation forces were accounted for using the integral equation formalism polarized continuum model (IEFPCM; Cancès et al., 1997). Primary and secondary isotope effects were computed by exchanging hydrogen atoms with deuterium. Results show that reaction mechanisms involving 3 and 7 water molecules have ZPECB of 34 to 38 kJ/mol, whereas those involving 1 and 2 water molecules have ZPECB in excess of the set upper-bound. The lower range of ZPECB with 3 or 7 water molecules is reasonable to explain rapid hydrogen isotope exchange with silicates. Rate constant calculations accounting for tunneling, anharmonicity and scaling factors indicate that the reaction is fast and equilibrium can be assumed under most geologic conditions.     

Effects of substrate structure and composition on the structure, dynamics, and energetics of water at mineral surfaces: A molecular dynamics modeling study

Molecular dynamics computer simulations of the molecular structure, diffusive dynamics and hydration energetics of water adsorbed on (0 0 1) surfaces of brucite Mg(OH)₂, gibbsite Al(OH)₃, hydrotalcite Mg₂Al(OH)₆Cl · 2H₂O, muscovite KAl₂(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH)₂, and talc Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂ provide new insight into the relationships between the substrate structure and composition and the molecular-scale structure and properties of the interfacial water. For the three hydroxide phases studied here, the differences in the structural charge on the octahedral sheet, cation occupancies and distributions, and the orientations of OH groups all affect the surface water structure. The density profiles of water molecules perpendicular to the surface are very similar, due to the prevalent importance of H-bonding between the surface and the water and to their similar layered crystal structures. However, the predominant orientations of the surface water molecules and the detailed two-dimensional near-surface structure are quite different. The atomic density profiles and other structural characteristics of water at the two sheet silicate surfaces are very different, because the talc (0 0 1) surface is hydrophobic whereas the muscovite (0 0 1) surface is hydrophilic. At the hydrophilic and electrostatically neutral brucite and gibbsite (0 0 1) surfaces, both donating and accepting H-bonds from the H₂O molecules are important for the development of a continuous hydrogen bonding network across the interfacial region. For the hydrophilic but charged hydrotalcite and muscovite (0 0 1) surfaces, only accepting or donating H-bonds from the water molecules contribute to the formation of the H-bonding network at the negatively and positively charged interfaces, respectively. For the hydrophobic talc (0 0 1) surface, H-bonds between water molecules and the surface sites are very weak, and the H-bonds among H₂O molecules dominate the interfacial H-bonding network. For all the systems studied, the orientation of the interfacial water molecules in the first few layers is influenced by both the substrate surface charge and the ability by the surfaces to facilitate H-bond formation. The first layer of water molecules at all surfaces is well ordered in the xy plane (parallel to the surface) and the atomic density distributions reflect the substrate crystal structure. The enhanced ordering of water molecules at the interfaces indicates reduced orientational and translational entropy. In thin films, water molecules are more mobile parallel to the surface than perpendicular to it due to spatial constraints. At neutral, hydrophilic substrates, single-monolayer surface coverage stabilizes the adsorbed water molecules and results in a minimum of the surface hydration energy. In contrast, at the charged and hydrophilic muscovite surface, the hydration energy increases monotonically with increasing water coverage over the range of coverages studied. At the neutral and hydrophobic talc surface, the adsorption of H₂O is unfavorable at all surface coverages, and the hydration energy decreases monotonically with increasing coverage.     

榴辉岩石榴石中的水分子团：超高压变质过程中流体的证据

通过透射电镜，我们在大别山榴辉岩的石榴石中识别出水分子团。这证明 在大陆地壳岩石俯冲的过程中，石榴石作为水的载体是可以将水携带到地幔深处。而石榴石中的水分子团为超高压变质过程中有流体存在提供了有力的证据。     

The association of organic molecules with clay minerals in aqueous solutions

The uptake of dissolved organic molecules by kaolinite and montomorillonite clay minerals was measured in distilled water and saltwater solutions. Glucose and valine exhibited low affinities for both clay minerals over a wide range of concentrations in distilled water and seawater solutions. Stearic acid was efficiently removed by both clay minerals from all solutions over the concentration range 10–1000 ppb. These experiments suggest that some dissolved organic molecules may be preferentially removed by clay minerals in natural waters. It is unlikely, however, that the partitioning of simple organic molecules between natural waters and suspended clay minerals could produce the high concentrations of organic matter that occur in most fine-grained sediments.     

State of water molecules and silanol groups in opal minerals: a near infrared spectroscopic study of opals from Slovakia

Recently, near infrared spectroscopy in combination with double derivative technique has been effectively used by Christy (Vib Spectrosc 54:42–49, 2010) to study and differentiate between free and hydrogen bonded silanol groups on silica gel surface. The method has given some insight into the type of functionalities, their location in silica gel samples, and the way the water molecules bind onto the silanol groups. The important information in this respect comes from the overtones of the OH groups of water molecules hydrogen-bonded to free silanol groups, and hydrogen-bonded silanol groups absorbing in the region 5,500–5,100 cm⁻¹. Chemically, opal minerals are hydrated silica and the same approach was adapted to study the state of water molecules, silanol functionalities, and their locations in opal samples from Slovakia. Twenty opal samples classified into CT and A classes and one quartz sample were used in this work. The samples were crushed using a hydraulic press and powderized. Each sample was then subjected to evacuation process to remove surface-adsorbed water at 200°C, and the near infrared spectrum of each sample was measured using a Perkin Elmer NTS FT-NIR spectrometer equipped with a transflectance accessory and a DTGS detector. The samples were also heated to 750°C to remove the hydrogen-bonded silanol groups on the surface to reveal their locality. Second derivative profiles of the near infrared reflectance spectra were obtained using the instrument’s software and used in the detailed analysis of the samples. The analysis of the near infrared spectra and their second derivative profiles had the aim in finding relationships between the surface chemical structure and the classification of opal samples. The dry opal samples were also tested for their surface adsorption effectivity toward water molecules. The results indicate that the opal samples contain (1) surface-adsorbed water, (2) free and hydrogen-bonded silanol groups on the surface, (3) trapped water molecules in the bulk, and (4) free and hydrogen-bonded silanol groups in the cavity surfaces in the bulk. A part of the water molecules in the bulk of opal minerals are found as free molecules and the rest are found in hydrogen-bonded state to either free or vicinal or geminal silanol groups.     

Interaction of calcium dioleate collector colloids with calcite and fluorite surfaces as revealed by AFM force measurements and molecular dynamics simulation

Spherical calcium dioleate particles (∼ 10 μm in diameter) were used as AFM (atomic force microscope) probes to measure interaction forces of the collector colloid with calcite and fluorite surfaces. The attractive AFM force between the calcium dioleate sphere and the fluorite surface is strong and has a longer range than the DLVO (Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek) prediction. The repulsive AFM force between the calcium dioleate sphere and the fluorite surface does not agree with the DLVO prediction. Consideration of non-DLVO forces, including the attractive hydrophobic force, was necessary to explain the experimental results. The non-DLVO interactions considered were justified by the different interfacial water structures at fluorite– and calcite–water interfaces as revealed by the numerical computation experiments using molecular dynamics simulation. The density of interfacial water at the fluorite surface is low and the fluorite surface is not strongly wetted by water molecules. In contrast to the water at the fluorite surface, water molecules at the calcite surface form tightly packed monolayer structures and the calcite surface is extensively hydrated by water molecules. The interfacial water structure agrees with the AFM force measurements and the flotation recovery data. The strong attraction between the calcium dioleate colloid and the fluorite surface, and the moderately wetted fluorite surface by water molecules explain the better flotation response of fluorite with the oleate collector colloid.     

冷冻条件下天然包裹体中流体水分子氢键的拉曼光谱特征

水的拉曼图谱实际就是带氢键作用的OH伸缩振动峰(包括对称伸缩振动峰和反对称伸缩振动峰)和不带氢键作用的OH对称伸缩振动峰(包括对称伸缩振动峰和反对称伸缩振动峰)的叠加包络线,通过对流体中水的拉曼图谱的分析可以反映流体中氢键作用的强弱.因此,用Renishaw MK1-1000型显微激光拉曼探针原位分析了冷冻条件下天然的流体包裹体腔内流体水分子的氢键作用.研究表明,在冷冻条件下,水分子运动以带氢键作用的伸缩振动为主,同时还有微弱的非氢键作用的伸缩振动;随着温度的降低,流体中水分子的氢键作用不断地增强;在-130~-180 ℃区间氢键作用增强的趋势明显加大,暗示流体性质在此温度区间可能发生了突变.      

谷氨酸插层镁铝水滑石微观结构与性能:实验与理论研究

采用共沉淀法合成了谷氨酸插层镁铝水滑石(LDHs-Glu),并使用XRD表征技术以及分子动力学模拟方法对其微观结构与性能进行了研究。结果表明随着LDHs-Glu中水分子数量增加,层间距d003逐渐增大。XRD表征得到其层间距为1.328 nm,与理论模拟得到的当水分子数Nw=7时的水滑石层间距d003=1.323 nm相近。随着层间水分子数量增加,水合能逐渐增大,最终趋于流体水的特征值(-41.8 kJ/mol)。水合过程中,水滑石层板与阴离子间的氢键逐渐减少,而层板与水分子间的氢键逐渐增多,说明水分子与层板间的亲和力更强。实验表征与理论模拟相结合的研究方法,有望成为插层复合材料微观结构研究的重要手段。     

A computational chemical study of penetration and displacement of water films near mineral surfaces

A series of molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on organic–water mixtures near mineral surfaces. These simulations show that, in contrast to apolar compounds, small polar organic compounds such as phenols can penetrate through thin water films to adsorb on these mineral surfaces. Furthermore, additional simulations involving demixing of an organic–water mixture near a surfactant-covered mineral surface demonstrate that even low concentrations of adsorbed polar compounds can induce major changes in mineral surface wettability, allowing sorption of apolar molecules. This strongly supports a two-stage adsorption mechanism for organic solutes, involving initial migration of small polar organic molecules to the mineral surface followed by water film displacement due to co-adsorption of the more apolar organic compounds, thus converting an initial water-wet mineral system to an organic-covered surface. This has profound implications for studies of petroleum reservoir diagenesis and wettability changes.     

Quasielastic incoherent neutron scattering study of the rotational dynamics of the water molecules in analcime

The rotational motion of the water molecules in analcime has been investigated by quasielastic incoherent neutron scattering. Reorientational times vary from 65 ± 20 ps at 260 K to 26 ± 3 ps at 370 K, and the temperature dependence suggests an activation energy for reorientations of 780 ± 200 K. Measurements of the temperature dependence of the intensity of the elastic incoherent scattering indicate that there is no cooperative ordering at low temperatures, and that instead there is a gradual freezing-in of the motion of individual water molecules.     

The dehydration process in the zeolite laumontite: a real-time synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction study

The dehydration process of the natural zeolite laumontite Ca₄Si₁₆Al₈O₄₈ · 18 H₂O has been studied in situ by means of powder diffraction and X-ray synchrotron radiation. Powder diffraction profiles suitable for Rietveld refinements were accumulated in time intervals of 5 minutes using a position sensitive detector (CPS-120 by INEL), while the temperature increased in steps of about 5 K. The synchronization of accumulation time and temperature plateau allowed collection of 62 temperature-resolved powder patterns in the range 310–584 K, whose analysis produced a dynamic picture of the laumontite structure response to dehydration. The first zeolitic water molecules diffusing out of the channels are those not bonded to the Ca cations and located in the W(1) site, whose occupancy drops smoothly to 10% during heating to 349 K, while the sample in the capillary is still submerged in water. The remaining W(1) and 60% of W(5) water molecules are expelled rather sharply at about 370 K. At this temperature all remaining water submerging the powder crystallites is lost, the structure contains about 13 water molecules/cell, and the crystal structure is that of leonhardite. On continued heating 80% of the water molecules from the W(2) site are lost between 420 and 480 K, while a small amount of the diffusing water is reinserted in the W(5) site. The occupancy factor of the W(8) site decreases starting at 480 K, and reaches a maximum loss of 20% at 584 K. The combined occupancy of the Ca-coordinated W (2) and W (8) water sites never falls much below two, so that the Ca cations in the channels, which are bonded to four framework oxygen atoms, are nearly six-coordinated in the explored temperature range. The water loss is accompanied by large changes in the unit cell dimensions. Except at 367 K, where the excess surrounding water is leaving, all changes in cell dimensions are gradual. The loss of the hydrogen bonded W(1) and W(5) water molecules is related to most of the unit cell volume reduction below 370 K, as shown by the contraction of the a-, b- and c-axes and the increase in the monoclinic angle. Loss of the Ca-coordinated W(2) and W(8) water molecules has a small effect on the unit cell volume as the continued contraction of the a- and c-axes is counter-balanced by a large expansion in the b-axis and a decrease in the monoclinic β angle.     

The mechanisms of water diffusion in polymerized silicate melts

Diffusion of water was experimentally investigated for melts of albitic (Ab) and quartz-orthoclasic (Qz₂₉Or₇₁, in wt %) compositions with water contents in the range of 0 to 8.5 wt % at temperatures of 1100 to 1200 °C and at pressures of 1.0 and 5.0 kbar. Apparent chemical diffusion coefficients of water (D _water) were determined from concentration-distance profiles measured by FTIR microspectroscopy. Under the same P-T condition and water content the diffusivity of water in albitic, quartz-orthoclasic and haplogranitic (Qz₂₈Ab₃₈ Or₃₄, Nowak and Behrens, this issue) melts is identical within experimental error. Comparison to data published in literature indicates that anhydrous composition only has little influence on the mobility of water in polymerized melts but that the degree of polymerization has a large effect. For instance, D_water is almost identical for haplogranitic and rhyolitic melts with 0.5–3.5 wt % water at 850 °C but it is two orders of magnitude higher in basaltic than in haplogranitic melts with 0.2–0.5 wt % water at 1300 °C. Based on the new water diffusivity data, recently published in situ near-infrared spectroscopic data (Nowak 1995; Nowak and Behrens 1995), and viscosity data (Schulze et al. 1996) for hydrous haplogranitic melts current models for water diffusion in silicate melts are critically reviewed. The NIR spectroscopy has indicated isolated OH groups, pairs of OH groups and H₂O molecules as hydrous species in polymerized silicate melts. A significant contribution of isolated OH groups to the transport of water is excluded for water contents above 10 ppm by comparison of viscosity and water diffusion data and by inspection of concentration profiles from trace water diffusion. Spectroscopic measurements have indicated that the interconversion of H₂O molecules and OH pairs is relatively fast in silicate glasses and melts even at low temperature and it is inferred that this reaction is an active step for migration of water. However, direct jumps of H₂O molecules from one cavity within the silicate network to another one can not be excluded. Thus, we favour a model in which water migrates by the interconversion reaction and, possibly, small sequences of direct jumps of H₂O molecules. In this model, immobilization of water results from dissociation of the OH pairs. Assuming that the frequency of the interconversion reaction is faster than that of diffusive jumps, OH pairs and water molecules can be treated as a single diffusing species having an effective diffusion coefficient . The shape of curves of D_water versus water content implies that increases with water content. The change from linear to exponential dependence of D_water between 2 and 3 wt % water is attributed to the influence of the dissociation reaction at low water content and to the modification of the melt structure by incorporation of OH groups. Received: 26 March 1996 / Accepted: 23 August 1996     

层间水含量对蛭石有机改性影响的研究

本文以溴代十六烷基吡啶、磷酸三丁酯对膨胀蛭石和未膨胀蛭石进行了改性处理，并用IR、XRD方法研究了蛭石在不同层间水含量情况下，这两种有机分子分别进入蛭石层间的难易情况，结果表明：（1）层间水含量能够对有机分子进入蛭石层间产生影响，但对具有较强离子交换能力的有机分子进入层间的影响不大；（2）磷酸三丁酯分子易于与含层间水少的膨胀蛭石结合，说明层间水对磷酸三丁酯分子的作用遵循异极性排斥的原则。     

Molecular modeling of water structure in nano-pores between brucite (001) surfaces

Molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations of liquid water held in one-dimensional nano-confinement by two parallel, electrostatically neutral but hydrophilic surfaces of brucite, Mg(OH)₂, provide greatly increased, atomistically detailed understanding of surface-related effects on the spatial variation in the structural ordering, hydrogen bond (H-bond) organization, and local density of H₂O molecules at this important model hydroxide surface. NVT-ensemble MD simulations (i.e., at constant number of atoms, volume and temperature) were performed for a series of model systems consisting of 3 to 30 Å-thick water layers (containing 35 to 360 H₂O molecules) confined between two 19 Å-thick brucite substrate layers. The results show that the hydrophilic substrate significantly influences the near-surface water structure, with both H-bond donation to the surface oxygen atoms and H-bond acceptance from the surface hydrogen atoms in the first surface layer of H₂O molecules playing key roles. Profiles of oxygen and hydrogen atomic density and H₂O dipole orientation show significant deviation from the corresponding structural properties of bulk water to distances as large as 15 Å (∼5 molecular water layers) from the surface, with the local structural environment varying significantly with the distance from the surface. The water molecules in the first layer at about 2.45 Å from the surface have a two-dimensional hexagonal arrangement parallel to brucite layers, reflecting the brucite surface structure, have total nearest neighbor coordinations of 5 or 6, and are significantly limited in their position and orientation. The greatest degree of the tetrahedral (ice-like) ordering occurs at about 4 Å from the surface. The translational and orientational ordering of H₂O molecules in layers further from the surface become progressively more similar to those of bulk liquid water. A quantitative statistical analysis of the MD-generated instantaneous molecular configurations in terms of local density, molecular orientation, nearest neighbor coordination, and the structural details of the H-bonding network shows that the local structure of interfacial water at the brucite surface results from a combination of “hard wall” (geometric and confinement) effects, highly directional H-bonding, and thermal motion. This structure does not resemble that of bulk water at ambient conditions or at elevated or reduced temperature, but shares some similarities with that of water under higher pressure.     

电气石的电场效应及其在环境领域中的应用前景

电气石具有永久性的自发电极,电气石微粒的周围存在着以c轴轴面为两极的静电场.在电场作用下,水分子发生电解,形成活性分子 H3O+,吸引水中的杂质、污垢,净化水质;OH- 和水分子结合形成负离子,改善人们的生活环境;电场对带电粒子有吸附作用,可以吸附粉尘,净化空气.电气石还具有高的机械化学稳定性,与沸石、蒙脱石等的吸附作用相比,电气石不具有饱和极限,可持续使用,重复利用率高,在环境领域具有很好的发展前景.