Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation of water solubility in polyamide-6,6

Abstract

Grand canonical ensemble molecular dynamics simulation is employed to calculate the solubility of water in polyamide-6,6. It is shown that performing two separate simulations, one in the polymeric phase and one in the gaseous phase, is sufficient to find the phase coexistence point. In this method, the chemical potential of water in the polymer phase is expanded as a first-order Taylor series in terms of pressure. Knowing the chemical potential of water in the polymer phase in terms of pressure, another simulation for water in the gaseous phase, in the grand canonical ensemble, is done in which the target chemical potential is set in terms of pressure in the gas phase. The phase coexistence point can easily be calculated from the results of these two independent simulations. Our calculated sorption isotherms and solubility coefficients of water in polyamide-6,6, over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, agree with experimental data.