Transport processes at alpha-quartz-water interfaces: insights from first-principles molecular dynamics simulations
Abstract
Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CP-MD) simulations are performed at high temperature and pressure to investigate chemical interactions and transport processes at the alpha-quartz-water interface. The model system initially consists of a periodically repeated quartz slab with O-terminated and Si-terminated (1000) surfaces sandwiching a film of liquid water. At a temperature of 1000 K and a pressure of 0.3 GPa, dissociation of H(2)O molecules into H(+) and OH(-) is observed at the Si-terminated surface. The OH(-) fragments immediately bind chemically to the Si-terminated surface while Grotthus-type proton diffusion through the water film leads to protonation of the O-terminated surface. Eventually, both surfaces are fully hydroxylated and no further chemical reactions are observed. Due to the confinement between the two hydroxylated quartz surfaces, water diffusion is reduced by about one third in comparison to bulk water. Diffusion properties of dissolved SiO(2) present as Si(OH)(4) in the water film are also studied. We do not observe strong interactions between the hydroxylated quartz surfaces and the Si(OH)(4) molecule as would have been indicated by a substantial lowering of the Si(OH)(4) diffusion coefficient along the s...Continue Reading
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