Title
Representing polymer molecular structure using molecular simulations for the study of liquid sorption and diffusion
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
6-1-2020
Abstract
Membrane-based separations enable technology for reducing energy usage. Molecular simulations of polymers have the potential to describe sorption and diffusion mechanisms of moderate-size molecules in membranes and to inform new materials development for separating liquids. Advances in simulation methods have improved equilibration of chain configurations so they provide more reliable environments for simulating permeation. In situ ‘polymerization’ can generate large equilibrated cells in reasonable computation times. Reverse mapping between coarse-grained and atomistic scales can equilibrate complex polymers. Simulations of diffusion in polymers now target materials that include polyimides and PIMs. This paper reviews the current status and illustrates recent successes in equilibrating chains and simulating relevant engineering polymers, with a motivation toward applications in the fields of sorption and diffusion.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering
Volume
28
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Greenfield, Michael L.. "Representing polymer molecular structure using molecular simulations for the study of liquid sorption and diffusion." Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering 28, (2020): 144-151. doi: 10.1016/j.coche.2020.02.003.