Reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations were used to study heat transport in solvated gold interfaces which have been functionalized with a low-molecular weight thiolated polyethylene glycol (PEG). The gold interfaces studied included (111), (110), and (100) facets as well as spherical nanoparticles with radii of 10 and 20 Å. The embedded atom model (EAM) and the polarizable density-readjusted embedded atom model (DR-EAM) were implemented to determine the effect of metal polarizability on heat transport properties. We find that the interfacial thermal conductance values for thiolated PEG-capped interfaces are higher than those for pristine gold interfaces. Hydrogen bonding between the thiolated PEG and solvent differs between planar facets and the nanospheres, suggesting one mechanism for enhanced transfer of energy, while the covalent gold sulfur bond appears to create the largest barrier to thermal conduction. Through analysis of vibrational power spectra, we find an enhanced population at low-frequency heat-carrying modes for the nanospheres, which may also explain the higher mean interfacial thermal conductance (G) value.
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Thermal Transport through CTAB- and MTAB-Functionalized Gold Interfaces Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Thermal transport coefficients, notably the interfacial thermal conductance, were determined in planar and spherical gold interfaces functionalized with CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) or MTAB (16-mercapto-hexadecyl-trimethylammonium bromide) using reverse non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (RNEMD) methods. The systems of interest included (111), (110), and (100) planar facets as well as nanospheres (r = 10 Å). The effect of metal polarizability was investigated through the implementation of the density-readjusted embedded atom model (DR-EAM), a polarizable metal potential. We find that conductance is higher in MTAB-capped interfaces, due in large part to the metal-to-ligand coupling provided by the Au-S bond. Alternatively, CTAB does not couple strongly with either the metal or the solvent, and it is largely a barrier to heat transfer, resulting in a much lower interfacial thermal conductance. Through analysis of physical contact between the ligand and the solvent, we find that there is significantly more overlap in the MTAB systems than the CTAB systems, mirroring the trends we observed in the conductance.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1954648
- PAR ID:
- 10613504
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Chemical Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
- Volume:
- 65
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1549-9596
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 811 to 824
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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