Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 2003, 68, 2283-2291
https://doi.org/10.1135/cccc20032283

Van der Waals Attraction and Coalescence of Aqueous Salt Nanodroplets

Pavel Jungwirtha,* and Victoria Buchb

a J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center for Complex Molecular Systems and Biomolecules, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic
b Department of Physical Chemistry and Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel

Abstract

Collisions of aqueous salt nanodroplets at zero initial relative velocity are investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The character of the van der Waals interactions, which bring the droplets together and cause coalescence, is described in detail, and the parameters of the droplet-droplet potential are extracted from the collisional trajectories. Concentration and size effects, together with implications for cloud and precipitation modeling are discussed.

Keywords: van der Waals interactions; Aqueous droplets; Coalescence; Collisions; Molecular dynamics; Atmospheric chemistry.

References: 20 live references.