An atomistic view on the uptake of aromatic compounds by cyclodextrin immobilized on mesoporous silica

Abstract

The effect of immobilized β-cyclodextrin (bCD) molecules inside a mesoporous silica support on the uptake of benzene and p -nitrophenol from aqueous solution was investigated using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The calculated adsorption isotherms are discussed with respect to the free energies of binding for a 1:1 complex of bCD and the aromatic guest molecule. The adsorption capacity of the bCD-containing material significantly exceeds the amount corresponding to a 1:1 binding scenario, in agreement with experimental observations. Beside the formation of 1:2 and, to a lesser extent, 1:3 host:guest complexes, also host-host interactions on the surface as well as more unspecific host-guest interactions govern the adsorption process. The demonstrated feasibility of classical all-atom MD simulations to calculate liquid phase adsorption isotherms paves the way to a molecular interpretation of experimental data that are too complex to be described by empirical models.