Adsorption of gas-like molecules to self-aligned square-well fluid channels under confinement of chemically patterned substrates

Abstract

To extend the work of binary fluid mixtures and their associated bridge-like structures, the adsorption of gas-like molecules (interacting via hard-sphere potentials) on self-assembled fluid channels was examined. We examined the morphological evolution of an initial random binary mixture under confinement of chemically patterned substrates with strong, long-range preferential attraction to the pure square-well component. Gas-like molecules were presumed to have a weak attraction to the square-well fluid. The morphology and corresponding density profiles revealed the underlying chemical and physical adsorption of gas-like molecules to off-strip voids and to the interface of the self-assembled fluid channels. The entropic effects drive the non-interaction hard-sphere molecules to assemble or reorganize in the voids left between the self-assembled square-well fluids. Such studies can help in the study of formation of nano-liquid structures and enhanced adsorption of gas-like molecules for storage purposes.