Hydration structure and water exchange kinetics at xenotime-water interfaces: implications for rare earth minerals separation.
Phys Chem Chem Phys
; 22(15): 7719-7727, 2020 Apr 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32215419
ABSTRACT
Hydration of surface ions gives rise to structural heterogeneity and variable exchange kinetics of water at complex mineral-water interfaces. Here, we employ ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and water adsorption calorimetry to examine the aqueous interfaces of xenotime, a phosphate mineral that contains predominantly Y3+ and heavy rare earth elements. Consistent with natural crystal morphology, xenotime is predicted to have a tetragonal prismatic shape, dominated by the {100} surface. Hydration of this surface induces multilayer interfacial water structures with distinct OH orientations, which agrees with recent crystal truncation rod measurements. The exchange kinetics between two adjacent water layers exhibits a wide range of underlying timescales (5-180 picoseconds), dictated by ion-water electrostatics. Adsorption of a bidentate hydroxamate ligand reveals that {100} xenotime surface can only accommodate monodentate coordination with water exchange kinetics strongly depending on specific ligand orientation, prompting us to reconsider traditional strategies for selective separation of rare-earth minerals.
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1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Phys Chem Chem Phys
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article