Molecular simulation of liquid water confined inside graphite channels:: Thermodynamics and structural properties

We carried out molecular dynamics simulations to describe the properties of water inside a narrow graphite channel. Two stable phases were found: a low-density one made of water clusters adsorbed on the graphite sheets and a liquid one that fills the entire channel, forming several layers around a bulklike region. We analyzed the interfacial structure, orientational order, water residence times in several regions, and hydrogen bonding of this last water phase, calculating also a quantity of electrochemical interest, the probability of electron tunneling through interfacial water. The results are in good qualitative agreement with the available experimental data. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.