Computation of the excess entropy (Formula presented.) from the second-order density expansion of the entropy holds strictly for infinite systems in the limit of small densities. For the reliable and efficient computation of (Formula presented.) it is important to understand finite-size effects. Here, expressions to compute (Formula presented.) and Kirkwood–Buff (KB) integrals by integrating the Radial Distribution Function (RDF) in a finite volume are derived, from which (Formula presented.) and KB integrals in the thermodynamic limit are obtained. The scaling of these integrals with system size is studied. We show that the integrals of (Formula presented.) converge faster than KB integrals. We compute (Formula presented.) from Monte Carlo simulations using the Wang–Ramírez–Dobnikar–Frenkel pair interaction potential by thermodynamic integration and by integration of the RDF. We show that (Formula presented.) computed by integrating the RDF is identical to that of (Formula presented.) computed from thermodynamic integration at low densities, provided the RDF is extrapolated to the thermodynamic limit. At higher densities, differences up to (Formula presented.) are observed.

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Heat pumps, which recycle waste heat, are a promising technology for reducing CO₂ emissions. Efficiently using low-grade waste heat remains challenging due to the limitations of standard heat exchangers and the need for more effective working fluids. This work introduces a multi-scale methodology that combines force field-based Monte Carlo simulations, quantum mechanics, and equations of state to explore the potential of formic acid as a new reactive fluid in thermodynamic cycles. Formic acid exhibits dimerization behavior, forming cyclic dimers in the gas phase, which can enhance the thermodynamic efficiency of heat recovery systems. The dimerization reaction of formic acid is crucial because it integrates chemical energy into thermodynamic processes, potentially improving the performance of heat pumps and other energy systems. The study implements umbrella sampling in Monte Carlo simulations to compute the thermodynamic properties of HCOOH dimerization, including equilibrium constants, enthalpy, and entropy. Results from two different methods to study dimer formation, namely the dimer counter method and the potential of mean force method, show strong agreement with the enthalpy of dimerization of −60.46 kJ mol⁻¹ and −62.91 kJ mol⁻¹, and entropy of −137.36 J mol⁻¹K⁻¹ and −146.98 J mol⁻¹K⁻¹, respectively. A very good agreement of the Monte Carlo results with Quantum Mechanics and experimental data validates the accuracy of the simulations. For phase equilibrium properties, the Peng–Robinson equation of state, coupled with advanced mixing rules, was applied and compared to Monte Carlo simulations in the Gibbs ensemble. This approach enabled the determination of the Global Phase Equilibrium of the system, vaporization enthalpy, phase composition, vapor and liquid densities of the coexisting phases, and entropy as a function of temperature. The agreement between the thermodynamic model and Monte Carlo simulations confirms the reliability of the methodology in capturing the phase behavior of the system. The findings demonstrate a promising approach for discovering and characterizing new reactive fluids, contributing to more efficient and sustainable energy technologies.

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We present RASPA3, a molecular simulation code for computing adsorption and diffusion in nanoporous materials and thermodynamic and transport properties of fluids. It implements force field based classical Monte Carlo/molecular dynamics in various ensembles. In this article, we introduce the new additions and changes compared to RASPA2. RASPA3 is rewritten from the ground up in C++23 with speed and code readability in mind. Transition-matrix Monte Carlo is added to compute the density of states and free energies. The Monte Carlo code for rigid molecules is based on quaternions, and the atomic positions needed in the energy evaluation are recreated from the center of mass position and quaternion orientation. The expanded ensemble methodology for fractional molecules, with a scaling parameter λ between 0 and 1, now also keeps track of analytic expressions of dU/dλ, allowing independent verification of the chemical potential using thermodynamic integration. The source code is freely available under the MIT license on GitHub. Using this code, we compare four Monte Carlo (MC) insertion/deletion techniques: unbiased Metropolis MC, Configurational-Bias Monte Carlo (CBMC), Continuous Fractional Component MC (CFCMC), and CB/CFCMC. We compare particle distribution shapes, acceptance ratios, accuracy and speed of isotherm computation, enthalpies of adsorption, and chemical potentials, over a wide range of loadings and systems, for the grand canonical ensemble and for the Gibbs ensemble.

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Focused ultrasound has experimentally been found to enhance the diffusion of nanoparticles; our aim with this work is to study this effect closer using both experiments and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics. Measurements from single particle tracking of 40 nm polystyrene nanoparticles in an agarose hydrogel with and without focused ultrasound are presented and compared with a previous experimental study using 100 nm polystyrene nanoparticles. In both cases, we observed an increase in the mean square displacement during focused ultrasound treatment. We developed a coarse-grained non-equilibrium molecular dynamics model with an implicit solvent to investigate the increase in the mean square displacement and its frequency and amplitude dependencies. This model consists of polymer fibers and two sizes of nanoparticles, and the effect of the focused ultrasound was modeled as an external oscillating force field. A comparison between the simulation and experimental results shows similar mean square displacement trends, suggesting that the particle velocity is a significant contributor to the observed ultrasound-enhanced mean square displacement. The resulting diffusion coefficients from the model are compared to the diffusion equation for a two-time continuous time random walk. The model is found to have the same frequency dependency. At lower particle velocity amplitude values, the model has a quadratic relation with the particle velocity amplitude as described by the two-time continuous time random walk derived diffusion equation, but at higher amplitudes, the model deviates, and its diffusion coefficient reaches the non-hindered diffusion coefficient. This observation suggests that at higher ultrasound intensities in hydrogels, the non-hindered diffusion coefficient can be used.

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Knowledge of the microscopic behavior of CO₂ hydrates in oceanic sediments is crucial to evaluate the efficiency and stability of hydrate-based CO₂ sequestration in oceans. Here, systematic molecular dynamics simulations are executed to investigate the growth and dissociation of CO₂ hydrates, and the mechanical instability of CO₂ hydrate-Illite interface in the brine-urea-Illite system. Simulation results show that the CO₂ hydrate growth is jointly affected by the confined space, Illite surface properties, and presence of urea. Specifically, the interfacial H₂O and the ion layer on the Illite surface hinder the growth of CO₂ hydrate crystals toward Illite surfaces. Urea molecules can bind salt ions and increase CO₂ concentrations in the water, thus kinetically promoting CO₂ hydrate growth. The dissociation of the CO₂ hydrate is affected by Illite surface properties and the CO₂ hydrate structure. CO₂ hydrate starts from the regions where hydrate particles are minimally in contact and extends on both sides. The mechanical tension and compression of the CO₂ hydrate-Illite interface exhibit nonlinear characteristics by changing the hydrogen bonds and the CO₂ hydrate structure. The molecular insight into the microscopic behavior of CO₂ hydrates in the brine-urea-Illite system contributes to a broader understanding of hydrate-based CO₂ sequestration.

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The use of reactive working fluids in thermodynamic cycles is currently being considered as an alternative to inert working fluids, because of the preliminarily attested higher energy-efficiency potential. The current needs to simulate their use in thermodynamic cycles, which may operate in liquid, vapour or vapour-liquid state, are an accurate real-fluid equation of state and ideal gas thermochemical properties of each molecule constituting the mixture, to calculate the equilibrium constant. To this end, the appeal to a multi-scale theoretical methodology is paramount and its definition represents the objective of the present work. This methodology is applied and validated on the system N₂O₄ ⇌ 2NO₂. Firstly, the equations solved for simultaneous two-phase and reaction equilibrium are presented. Secondly, ideal gas thermochemical properties of N₂O₄ and NO₂ are computed at atomic scale by quantum mechanics simulations. Then, to apply the selected cubic equation of state, pure-component properties of the species forming the reactive mixture (critical point coordinates and acentric factor) are required as input. However, these properties are not measurable, since NO₂ and N₂O₄ do not exist in nature as pure components. To get around this difficulty, the methodology relies on molecular Monte Carlo simulations of the pure N₂O₄ and NO₂, as well as on the reactive N₂O₄ ⇌ 2NO₂, enabling the determination of those missing pure-component properties and thus the calculation, on a macroscopic scale, of the reactive mixture properties. Finally, the comparison of calculated mixture properties with available experimental data leads to validate the accuracy of the proposed methodology.

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Experimentally determining thermophysical properties for various compositions commonly found in CO₂ transportation systems is extremely challenging. To overcome this challenge, we performed Monte Carlo (MC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of CO₂ rich mixtures to compute thermophysical properties such as densities, thermal expansion coefficients, isothermal compressibilities, heat capacities, Joule-Thomson coefficients, speed of sound, and viscosities at temperatures of (235-313) K and pressures of (20-200) bar. We computed thermophysical properties of pure CO₂ and CO₂ rich mixtures with N₂, Ar, H₂, and CH₄ as impurities of (1-10) mol % and showed good agreement with available Equations of State (EoS). We showed that impurities decrease the values of thermal expansion coefficients, isothermal compressibilities, heat capacities, and Joule-Thomson coefficients in the gas phase, while these values increase in the liquid and supercritical phases. In contrast, impurities increase the value of speed of sound in the gas phase and decrease it in the liquid and supercritical phases. We present an extensive data set of thermophysical properties for CO₂ rich mixtures with various impurities, which will help to design the safe and efficient operation of CO₂ transportation systems.

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Entropies for alkane isomers longer than C10 are computed using our recently developed linear regression model for thermochemical properties which is based on second-order group contributions. The computed entropies show excellent agreement with experimental data and data from Scott’s tables which are obtained from a statistical mechanics-based correlation. Entropy production and heat input are calculated for the hydroisomerization of C7 isomers in various zeolites (FAU-, ITQ-29-, BEA-, MEL-, MFI-, MTW-, and MRE-types) at 500 K at chemical equilibrium. Small variations in these properties are observed because of the differences in reaction equilibrium distributions for these zeolites. The effect of chain length on heat input and entropy production is also studied for the hydroisomerization of C7, C8, C10, and C14 isomers in MTW-type zeolite at 500 K. For longer chains, both heat input and entropy production increase. Enthalpies and absolute entropies of C7 hydroisomerization reaction products in MTW-type zeolite increase with higher temperatures. These findings highlight the accuracy of our linear regression model in computing entropies for alkanes and provide insight for designing and optimizing zeolite-catalyzed hydroisomerization processes.@en

Knowledge on the kinetics of gas hydrate dissociation in clay pores at static and dynamic fluid conditions is a fundamental scientific issue for improving gas production efficiency from hydrate deposits using thermal stimulation and depressurization respectively. Here, molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate poly- and mono-crystalline methane hydrates in Na-montmorillonite clay nanopores. Simulation results show that hydrate dissociation is highly sensitive to temperature and pressure gradients, but their effects differ. Temperature changes increase thermal instability of water and gas molecules, leading to layer-by-layer dissociation from the outer surface. Under flow conditions, laminar flow predominates in nano-pores, and non-Darcy flow occurs due to clay-fluid interactions. Viscous flow disrupts hydrogen bonding at the hydrate surface, enhancing kinetic instability of water. Grain boundaries of polycrystalline hydrates are less stable compared to bulk phases and preferentially decompose, forming new dissociation fronts. This accelerates dissociation compared to monocrystalline hydrates. Fracture occurs at the grain boundaries of polycrystalline hydrate in the fluid, resulting in separate hydrate crystal grains. This fracture process further accelerates hydrate dissociation. In flow systems, methane nanobubbles form in fluid and readily transport with fluid flow. Unlike surface nanobubbles at static conditions, these liquid nanobubbles exhibit mobility. The findings of this study can contribute to a better understanding of the complex phase transition behavior of hydrate in confined environment, and provide theoretical support for improving production control technology.

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Molecular-based equations of state for describing the thermodynamics of chain molecules are often based on mean-field like arguments that reduce the problem of describing the interactions between chains to a simpler one involving only nonbonded monomers. While for dense liquids such arguments are known to work well, at low density they are typically less appropriate due to an incomplete description of the effect of chain connectivity on the local environment of the chains’ monomer segments. To address this issue, we develop three semi-empirical approaches that significantly improve the thermodynamic description of chain molecules at low density. The approaches are developed for chain molecules with repulsive intermolecular forces; therefore, they could be used as reference models for developing equations of the state of real fluids based on perturbation theory. All three approaches are extensions of Wertheim’s first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT1) for polymerization. The first model, referred to as TPT1-v, incorporates a second-virial correction that is scaled to zero at liquid-like densities. The second model, referred to as TPT1-y, introduces a Helmholtz-energy contribution to account for correlations between next-nearest-neighbor segments within chain molecules. The third approach, called TPT-E, directly modifies TPT1 without utilizing an additional Helmholtz energy contribution. By employing TPT1 at the core of these approaches, we ensure an accurate description of mixtures and enable a seamless extension from chains of tangentially bonded hard-sphere segments of equal size to hetero-segmented chains, fused chains, and chains of soft repulsive segments (which are influenced by temperature). The low-density corrections implemented in TPT1 are designed to preserve these good characteristics, as confirmed through comparisons with novel molecular simulation results for the pressure of various chain fluids. TPT1-v exhibits excellent transferability across different chain types, but it relies on knowing the second virial coefficient of the chain molecules, which is non-trivial to obtain and determined here using Monte Carlo simulation. The TPT1-y model, on the other hand, achieves comparable accuracy to TPT1-v while being fully predictive, requiring no input besides the geometry of the chain molecules.

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H₂-CO₂ mixtures find wide-ranging applications, including their growing significance as synthetic fuels in the transportation industry, relevance in capture technologies for carbon capture and storage, occurrence in subsurface storage of hydrogen, and hydrogenation of carbon dioxide to form hydrocarbons and alcohols. Here, we focus on the thermodynamic properties of H₂-CO₂ mixtures pertinent to underground hydrogen storage in depleted gas reservoirs. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to compute mutual (Fick) diffusivities for a wide range of pressures (5 to 50 MPa), temperatures (323.15 to 423.15 K), and mixture compositions (hydrogen mole fraction from 0 to 1). At 5 MPa, the computed mutual diffusivities agree within 5% with the kinetic theory of Chapman and Enskog at 423.15 K, albeit exhibiting deviations of up to 25% between 323.15 and 373.15 K. Even at 50 MPa, kinetic theory predictions match computed diffusivities within 15% for mixtures comprising over 80% H₂ due to the ideal-gas-like behavior. In mixtures with higher concentrations of CO₂, the Moggridge correlation emerges as a dependable substitute for the kinetic theory. Specifically, when the CO₂ content reaches 50%, the Moggridge correlation achieves predictions within 10% of the computed Fick diffusivities. Phase equilibria of ternary mixtures involving CO₂-H₂-NaCl were explored using Gibbs Ensemble (GE) simulations with the Continuous Fractional Component Monte Carlo (CFCMC) technique. The computed solubilities of CO₂ and H₂ in NaCl brine increased with the fugacity of the respective component but decreased with NaCl concentration (salting out effect). While the solubility of CO₂ in NaCl brine decreased in the ternary system compared to the binary CO₂-NaCl brine system, the solubility of H₂ in NaCl brine increased less in the ternary system compared to the binary H₂-NaCl brine system. The cooperative effect of H₂-CO₂ enhances the H₂ solubility while suppressing the CO₂ solubility. The water content in the gas phase was found to be intermediate between H₂-NaCl brine and CO₂-NaCl brine systems. Our findings have implications for hydrogen storage and chemical technologies dealing with CO₂-H₂ mixtures, particularly where experimental data are lacking, emphasizing the need for reliable thermodynamic data on H₂-CO₂ mixtures.

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Continuous Fractional Component Monte Carlo (CFCMC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to calculate the solubilities and self-diffusion coefficients of four light n-alkanes (methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane) in aqueous NaCl solutions as well as the thermodynamic properties of their corresponding hydrate crystals. Correction factors k_ij to the Lorentz-Berthelot combining rules for alkane groups (CH₃) and water are optimized (k_ij = 1.04) by fitting excess chemical potentials to experimental data at 1 bar and 298.15 K. Using these values of k_ij, we calculate the solubilities of the four alkanes in aqueous NaCl solutions with different molalities (0-6) mol/kg at different temperatures (278.15-308.15) K and pressures (1, 100, 200, 300) bar. The diffusion coefficients of the four alkanes in NaCl solutions (0-6) mol/kg are calculated at different temperatures (278.15-308.15) K and 1 bar and corrected for the finite-size effects. The lattice parameters of the corresponding hydrates with different guest molecules are computed using MD simulations at different temperatures (150-290) K and pressures (5-700) MPa. Isothermal compressibilities at 287.15 K and thermal expansion coefficients at 14.5 MPa for the corresponding hydrates are calculated. We present an extensive collection of thermodynamic data related to gas hydrates that contribute to a fundamental understanding of natural gas hydrate science.

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A microscopic insight into hybrid CH₄ physisorption-hydrate formation in halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) is vital for understanding the solidification storage of natural gas in the HNTs and developing energy storage technology. Herein, large-scale microsecond classical molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to investigate CH₄ storage in the HNTs via the adsorption-hydration hybrid (AHH) method to reveal the effect of gas-water ratio. The simulation results indicate that the HNTs are excellent nanomaterials for CH₄ storage via the adsorption-hydration hybrid method. The CH₄ physisorption and hydrate formation inside and outside of the HNTs are profoundly influenced by the surface properties of the HNTs and the kinetic characteristics of CH₄/H₂O molecules. The outer surfaces of the HNTs exhibit relative hydrophobicity and adsorb CH₄ molecules to form nanobubbles. Moreover, CH₄ molecules adsorbed on the outer surface are tightly trapped between the hydrate solids and the outer surface, inhibiting their kinetic behavior and favoring CH₄ storage via physisorption. The inner surface of the HNTs exhibits extreme hydrophilicity and strongly adsorbs H₂O molecules; thus, CH₄ hydrate can form inside of the HNTs. It is more difficult for CH₄ and H₂O molecules inside of the HNTs to convert into hydrates than for those outside of the HNTs. A moderate gas-water ratio is advantageous for CH₄ physisorption and hydrate formation, whereas excessively high or low gas-water ratios are unfavorable for efficient CH₄ storage. These insights can help to develop an efficient CH₄ solidification storage technology.

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Hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel that can be converted to other forms. of energy without generating any greenhouse gases. Currently, hydrogen is stored either by compression to high pressure (>700 bar) or cryogenic cooling to liquid form (<23 K). Therefore, it is essential to develop safe, reliable, and energy-efficient storage technology that can store hydrogen at lower pressures and temperatures. In this work, we systematically designed 2902 Mg-alkoxide-functionalized covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) and performed high-throughput (HT) computational screening for hydrogen storage applications at 111, 231, and 296 K. To accurately model the interaction between Mg-alkoxide sites and molecular hydrogen, we performed MP2 calculations to compute the hydrogen binding energy for different types of functionalized models, and the data were subsequently used to fit modified-Morse force field (FF) parameters. Using the developed FF models, we conducted HT grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations to compute hydrogen uptakes for both original and functionalized COFs. The generated data were subsequently used to evaluate the materials’ gravimetric and volumetric storage performance at various temperatures (111, 231, and 296 K). Finally, we developed machine learning (ML) models to predict the hydrogen storage performance of functionalized structures based on the features of the original structures. The developed model showed excellent performance with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.061 wt % and 0.456 g/L for predicting the gravimetric and volumetric deliverable capacities, enabling a quick evaluation of structures in a hypothetical COF database. The screening results demonstrated that the Mg-alkoxide functionalization yields greater improvements in volumetric H2 storage capacities for COFs with smaller pores compared to those with larger (mesoporous) pores.@en

The series of metal–organic frameworks M-MOF-74 gained popularity in the field of capture and separation of CO₂ due to the presence of numerous, highly reactive open-metal sites. The description of effective interactions between guest molecules and open-metal sites without accounting for polarization effects is challenging but it can significantly reduce the computational cost of simulations. In this study, we propose a non-polarizable force field for CO₂, and H₂ adsorption in M-MOF-74 (M = Ni, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Zn) by scaling the Coulombic interactions of M-MOF-74 atoms, and Lennard-Jones interaction potentials between the center of mass of H₂ and the open-metal centers. The presented force field is based on UFF and DREIDING parameters, characterized by high transferability and efficiency. The quantum behavior of H₂ at cryogenic temperatures is considered by incorporating Feynman–Hibbs quantum corrections. To validate the force field, the experimental isotherms of CO₂ at 298 K and 10⁻¹ – 10²kPa, the isotherms of H₂ at 77 K and 10⁻⁵ – 10²kPa, the corresponding enthalpy of adsorption, and the binding geometries in the M-MOF-74 series were reproduced using Monte Carlo simulations in the grand-canonical ensemble. The computed loadings, heats of CO₂ and H₂ adsorption, and binding geometries in M-MOF-74 are in very good agreement with the experimental values. The temperature transferability of the force field from 77 K to 87 K, and 298 K was shown for adsorption of H₂. The validated force field was used to study the adsorption and separation of CO₂/H₂ mixtures at 298 K. The adsorption of H₂ practically does not occur when CO₂ is present in the mixture. As indicated from simulated breakthrough curves, the breakthrough time of CO₂ in M-MOF-74 follows the same order as the uptake and the heat of CO₂ adsorption: Ni ¿ Co ¿ Fe ¿ Mn ¿ Zn ¿ Cu. Increasing the feed mole fraction of CO₂ in the breakthrough simulations from 0.1 to 0.9 speeds up the saturation of the adsorbent, leading to a faster exit of CO₂ with the column effluent. The application of the non-polarizable force field allows full investigation of the capture and separation of CO₂ in M-MOF-74, and can be expanded to study multi-component mixtures or industrial reactions in future research.

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An in-depth review of the available experimental and molecular simulation studies of CO₂ diffusion in H₂O, which is a central property in important industrial and environmental processes, such as carbon capture and storage, enhanced oil recovery, and in the food industry is presented. The cases of both bulk and confined systems are covered. The experimental and molecular simulation data gathered are analyzed, and simple and computationally efficient correlations are devised. These correlations are applicable to conditions from 273 K and 0.1 MPa up to 473 K and 45 MPa. The available experimental data for diffusion coefficients of CO₂ in brines are also collected, and their dependency on temperature, pressure, and salinity is examined in detail. Other engineering models and correlations reported in literature are also presented. The review of the simulation studies focuses on the force field combinations, the data for diffusivities at low and high pressures, finite-size effects, and the correlations developed based on the Molecular Dynamics data. Regarding the confined systems, we review the main methods to measure and compute the diffusivity of confined CO₂ and discuss the main natural and artificial confining media (i.e., smectites, calcites, silica, MOFs, and carbon materials). Detailed discussion is provided regarding the driving force for diffusion of CO₂ and H₂O under confinement, and on the role of effects such as H₂O adsorption on hydrophilic confining media on the diffusivity of CO₂. Finally, an outlook of future research paths for advancing the field of CO₂ diffusivity in H₂O at the bulk phase and in confinement is laid out.

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Vapor-Liquid Equilibria (VLE) of hydrogen (H₂) and aqueous electrolyte (KOH and NaCl) solutions are central to numerous industrial applications such as alkaline electrolysis and underground hydrogen storage. Continuous fractional component Monte Carlo simulations are performed to compute the VLE of H₂ and aqueous electrolyte solutions at 298-423 K, 10-400 bar, 0-8 mol KOH/kg water, and 0-6 mol NaCl/kg water. The densities and activities of water in aqueous KOH and NaCl solutions are accurately modeled (within 2% deviation from experiments) using the non-polarizable Madrid-2019 Na⁺/Cl⁻ ion force fields for NaCl and the Madrid-Transport K⁺ and Delft Force Field of OH⁻ for KOH, combined with the TIP4P/2005 water force field. A free energy correction (independent of pressure, salt type, and salt molality) is applied to the computed infinite dilution excess chemical potentials of H₂ and water, resulting in accurate predictions (within 5% of experiments) for the solubilities of H₂ in water and the saturated vapor pressures of water for a temperature range of 298-363 K. The compositions of water and H₂ are computed using an iterative scheme from the liquid phase excess chemical potentials and densities, in which the gas phase fugacities are computed using the GERG-2008 equation of state. For the first time, the VLE of H₂ and aqueous KOH/NaCl systems are accurately captured with respect to experiments (i.e., for both the liquid and gas phase compositions) without compromising the liquid phase properties or performing any refitting of force fields.

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Both CH₄ hydrate accumulation and hydrate-based CO₂ sequestration involve hydrate formation in mixed clay sediments. The development of realistic clay models and a nanoscale understanding of hydrate formation in mixed clay sediments are crucial for energy recovery and carbon sequestration. Here, we propose a novel molecular model of pseudo-hexagonal montmorillonite nanoparticles. The stress-strain curves of tension, compression, and shear of pseudo-hexagonal montmorillonite nanoparticles exhibit linear characteristics, with tension, compression, and shear moduli of ∼435, 410, and 137 GPa, respectively. We perform microsecond molecular dynamics simulations to study CH₄ and CH₄/CO₂ hydrate formation in montmorillonite-illite mixed clay sediments with surface defects. The results indicate that hydrate formation in mixed clay sediments is significantly influenced by the presence of clay defects. CH₄ and CH₄/CO₂ mixed hydrates are challenging to form at the junction between the inside and outside clay defects. CH₄ and CH₄/CO₂ mixed hydrates exhibit a preference for forming outside the clay defects rather than inside the clay defects. Some CH₄ and CO₂ molecules from the inside clay defect migrate to the outside clay defect, thereby promoting CH₄ and CH₄/CO₂ mixed hydrate formation outside the clay defects. This molecular insight advances the development of clay particle models and expands an understanding of natural gas hydrate accumulation and hydrate-based CO₂ sequestration.

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The confinement effect of porous materials on the thermodynamical equilibrium of the CO₂ hydrogenation reaction presents a cost-effective alternative to transition metal catalysts. In metal-organic frameworks, the type of metal center has a greater impact on the enhancement of formic acid production than the scale of confinement resulting from the pore size. The M-MOF-74 series enables a comprehensive study of how different metal centers affect HCOOH production, minimizing the effect of pore size. In this work, molecular simulations were used to analyze the adsorption of HCOOH and the CO₂ hydrogenation reaction in M-MOF-74, where M = Ni, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Zn. We combine classical simulations and density functional theory calculations to gain insights into the mechanisms that govern the low coverage adsorption of HCOOH in the surrounding of the metal centers of M-MOF-74. The impact of metal centers on the HCOOH yield was assessed by Monte Carlo simulations in the grand-canonical ensemble, using gas-phase compositions of CO₂, H₂, and HCOOH at chemical equilibrium at 298.15-800 K, 1-60 bar. The performance of M-MOF-74 in HCOOH production follows the same order as the uptake and the heat of HCOOH adsorption: Ni > Co > Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu. Ni-MOF-74 increases the mole fraction of HCOOH by ca. 10⁵ times compared to the gas phase at 298.15 K, 60 bar. Ni-MOF-74 has the potential to be more economically attractive for CO₂ conversion than transition metal catalysts, achieving HCOOH production at concentrations comparable to the highest formate levels reported for transition metal catalysts and offering a more valuable molecular form of the product.

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Non-polarizable force fields fail to accurately predict free energies of aqueous electrolytes without compromising the predictive ability for densities and transport properties. A new approach is presented in which (1) TIP4P/2005 water and scaled charge force fields are used to describe the interactions in the liquid phase and (2) an additional Effective Charge Surface (ECS) is used to compute free energies at zero additional computational expense. The ECS is obtained using a single temperature-independent charge scaling parameter per species. Thereby, the chemical potential of water and the free energies of hydration of various aqueous salts (e.g., NaCl and LiCl) are accurately described (deviations less than 5% from experiments), in sharp contrast to calculations where the ECS is omitted (deviations larger than 20%). This approach enables accurate predictions of free energies of aqueous electrolyte solutions using non-polarizable force fields, without compromising liquid-phase properties.@en