Self-diffusion and electrical conductance in a simple molten salt

The influence of charge ordering in the microscopic structure of monohydroxy alcohols

While radiation scattering data provides insight inside the microstructure of liquids, the Debye relation relating the scattering intensityI(k) to the atom-atom structure factorsSab(k)shows that, ultimately, it is these individual structure correlation functions which contain the relevant information about the micro-structure. However, these quantities are not observables, except in few cases where one can invert the Debye relation to obtain the structure functions. In the majority of other cases, the need for model dependent computer simulations is unavoidable. The resulting calculations reveal that the scattering pre-peak is the result of cancellations between positive pre-peaks and negative anti-peaks contributions from the atom-atom structure factors. What of systems where this cancellation is such that it entirely suppresses the scattering pre-peak? One would be tempted to falsely conclude that there is no underlying micro-heterogeneity. Hence, the structure functions appear as hidden variables, and it is important to understand the relation between their features and the micro-structure of the system. Through the computer simulation study of various mono-ols, ranging from methanol to 1-nonanol, as well as the branched octanols, we show how the features of the atom-atom pair correlation functiongab(r)affect that of the structure factorsSab(k), and reveal that the micro-structure is ultimately the result of the charge ordering between different atoms in the system.

Role of Charge Ordering in the Dynamics of Cluster Formation in Associated Liquids

Liquids are archetypes of disordered systems, yet liquids of polar molecules are locally more ordered than nonpolar molecules, due to the Coulomb interaction based charge ordering phenomenon. Hydrogen bonded liquids, such as water or alcohols, for example, represent a special type of polar liquids, in that they form labile clustered local structures. For water, in particular, hydrogen bonding and the related local tetrahedrality, play an important role in the various attempts to understand this liquid. However, labile structures imply dynamics, and it is not clear how it affects the understanding of this type of liquids from purely static point of view. Herein, we propose to reconsider hydrogen bonding as a charge ordering process. This concept allows us to demonstrate the insufficiency of the analysis of the microscopic structure based solely on static pair correlation functions, and the need for dynamical correlation functions, both in real and reciprocal space. The subsequent analysis allows to recover several aspects of our understanding of hydrogen bonded liquids, but from the charge order perspective. For water, it confirms the jump rotation picture found recently, and it allows to rationalize the contradicting pictures that arise when following the interpretations based on hydrogen bonding. For alcohols, it allows to understand the dynamical origin of the scattering prepeak, which does not exist for water, despite the fact that both these liquids have very similar hydroxyl group chain clusters. The concept of charge ordering complemented by the analysis of dynamical correlation functions appear as a promising way to understand microheterogeneity in complex liquids and mixtures from kinetics point of view.

Effect of Pressure on Transport Properties of the Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate

The self-diffusion coefficients (D) of the cation and anion in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM]PF6) have been determined together with the electrical conductivity (kappa) under high pressure. All three quantities strongly decrease with increasing pressure to approximately 20% of their atmospheric pressure values at 200 MPa. D(PF6-) is always less than D([BMIM]+), despite the larger van der Waals volume of the cation. The pressure effect on the transport coefficients is discussed in terms of velocity correlation coefficients (VCCs or fij), the Nernst-Einstein equation (ionic diffusivity-conductivity), and the fractional form of the Stokes-Einstein relation (viscosity-conductivity and viscosity-diffusivity). It was found that the VCCs for the cation-cation, anion-anion, and cation-anion pairs are all negative and strongly pressure-dependent, increasing (becoming less negative) with increasing pressure. However, when the values of the VCCs for a given isotherm are normalized relative to the corresponding atmospheric pressure values, they collapse onto a single curve, as might be expected because the pressure should affect the interionic velocity correlations in the same way for each type of interaction. These isothermal curves can be represented by the form exp(alphap + betap2). The Nernst-Einstein deviation parameter, Delta, which depends on the differences between the like-like ion and unlike ion VCCs (f++ + f-- - 2f+-), is very nearly constant under the conditions examined. The diffusion and molar conductivity (Lambda) data are found to fit fractional forms of the Stokes-Einstein relationship with the viscosity, (LambdaT) proportional, variant (T/eta)t and Di proportional, variant (T/eta)t , with t = (0.92 +/- 0.05), independent of both temperature and pressure within the ranges studied and common to the three independently determined properties.

A theory of transport properties in molten salts

Expressions for diffusion constants in molten salts have been obtained in terms of the inter-ionic pair potentials and the pair distribution functions. Numerical attempts for diffusion constants in molten alkali halides are carried out and results agreed fairly with those obtained by molecular-dynamics simulation and with some experimental data. Based on the coupling of generalized Langevin equation and damped Einstein oscillator equation, ions' velocity autocorrelation functions have also been described and are numerically applied for molten potassium fluoride. The deviation from the Nernst-Einstein relation was also discussed in detail. In Appendixes A x B x C, the short-time expansion of velocity correlation functions in relation to the partial conductivities and the diffusion constants were obtained up to the term of t(4) and these were compared with a model function described by the form of cos(omegat)sech(ttau).