Rjfl. De Carvalho et Nt. Skipper, Atomistic computer simulation of the clay-fluid interface in colloidal laponite, J CHEM PHYS, 114(8), 2001, pp. 3727-3733
Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics computer simulations have been used to s
tudy the structure and dynamics of the interlayer aqueous solution in a col
loidal sodium laponite clay at 277 K. The system studied has a clay-clay sp
acing of 34.06 Angstrom, and contains 1200 interlayer water molecules and 2
4 sodium counterions. The density profiles for interlayer species show two
distinct layers of surface water as one moves away from the clay particles.
The innermost of these layers is strongly oriented to form hydrogen bonds
to the surface oxygen atoms. Radially averaged pair distributions have been
calculated as a function of distance from the clay surfaces, and show that
throughout our system the water structure is significantly perturbed from
the bulk. In particular, we observe an increase in the second nearest-neigh
bor oxygen-oxygen distance, similar to that reported for low-density water
at 268 K [A. K. Soper and M. A. Ricci, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2881 (2000)]. T
he majority of the sodium counterions are fully hydrated by six water molec
ules. These hydrated ions have a strong tendency to remain close to the sol
id surfaces, as so-called "outer-sphere" complexes. However, we also observ
e cations further from the clay sheets, in the diffuse layer. Diffusion of
water and cations in the plane of the clay sheets is comparable to that in
the bulk, but is significantly reduced normal to the clay sheets. (C) 2001
American Institute of Physics.