The impact of salinity on the cohesion process of quartz substracts: A molecular dynamics study

Yubing Ouyang; Yanming Liu; Yujian Fan; Yang Zhou; Tao Shi

doi:10.1063/5.0196707

The impact of salinity on the cohesion process of quartz substracts: A molecular dynamics study

J Chem Phys. 2024 Apr 7;160(13):134503. doi: 10.1063/5.0196707.

Authors

Yubing Ouyang¹, Yanming Liu¹, Yujian Fan¹, Yang Zhou¹, Tao Shi^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China.
² Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Civil Engineering Structures and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Technology (Zhejiang University of Technology), Hangzhou 310023, China.

PMID: 38557844
DOI: 10.1063/5.0196707

Abstract

The moisture with salt ions adsorbed on the mineral soil surface is crucial to the cohesion process when the media is exposed to marine or coastal environments. However, the impact of salinity on the cohesion of soils is not well studied at the nanoscale. In this study, the salinity effect was investigated by studying the wettability and capillary force of NaCl solutions on quartz substrates via a molecular dynamics-based approach. Besides, a new visualization method was proposed to measure the contact angle of liquid droplets from the aspect of nanoscale. The results indicated that salt ions can weaken the wettability of the liquid on the quartz surface and inhibit the capillary force. Compared with water, the liquid with a 10% NaCl solution can achieve a capillary force reduction of around 70%, resulting in a detrimental effect on the cohesion of soils. Overall, this study enhanced the understanding of the nanoscale salinity effect on the cohesion process and provided insights into the modification of the mechanical properties of soils from the aspect of nanoscale.