Water in Asbestos

TL;DR

This study uses molecular simulations to analyze how water and salt solutions behave when confined in asbestos nanotubes, revealing significant diffusion slowdown and vitrification, with implications for understanding hydrophilic confinement effects.

Contribution

It provides detailed molecular insights into water and salt solution behavior within asbestos nanotubes, highlighting diffusion reduction and vitrification phenomena.

Findings

Diffusion coefficient drops about two orders of magnitude in confinement.

Water vitrifies rather than crystallizes upon cooling.

Sodium and chlorine ions have larger diffusion coefficients than water.

Abstract

We present the molecular simulation study of the behavior of water and sodium chloride solution confined in lizardite asbestos nanotube which is a typical example of hydrophilic confinement. The local structure, orientational and dynamic properties are studied. It is shown that the diffusion coefficient drops about two orders of magnitude comparing to the bulk case, and water in lizardite asbestos tubes experiences vitrification rather then crystallization upon cooling in accordance with the results for some other hydrophilic confinements. The behavior of sodium chloride solutions also considered and the formation of double layer is observed. It is shower that both sodium and chlorine have larger diffusion coefficients then water.