基于Materials Studio平台的聚酰胺反渗透膜建模工具开发
作者:李娜, 吴芷莹, 张轩
单位: 广东工业大学 生态环境与海洋学院, 湾区生态安全与绿色发展基础研究卓越中心, 大湾区城市环境安全与绿色发展教育部重点实验室, 广州 510006
关键词: 聚酰胺; 分子动力学; 交联脚本; 启发式算法; 建模
DOI号: 10.16159/j.cnki.issn1007-8924.2026.01.013
分类号: TQ028.8
出版年,卷(期):页码: 2026,46(1):129-139

摘要:
Materials Studio(MS)平台依托其图形化建模界面、高精度分子模拟引擎及可扩展脚本架构,为聚合物分子动力学研究提供了全流程集成化解决方案。为弥补该平台在聚酰胺反渗透(RO)膜高效自动化建模方向的工具缺失,本研究开发了智能化交联脚本xlink。该工具通过启发式算法自动识别酰氯基(-COCl)与氨基(-NH2)并进行定向交联,集成COMPASSⅡ力场支持交联度精准控制,显著降低多种体系的建模复杂度,例如间苯二胺-均苯三甲酰氯(MPD-TMC)、哌嗪-均苯三甲酰氯(PIP-TMC)等体系。通过MPD-TMC体系进行验证,所建模型的干膜和水合膜密度与商业膜(FT30)实验值高度吻合,水扩散行为及溶剂化结构特性符合膜分离机制特征,孔道拓扑分析进一步揭示了自由体积分布规律。本研究为RO膜结构-性能的定量关联研究建立了高精度分子模拟框架,突破了传统试错法研发模式的技术瓶颈。
The Materials Studio (MS) platform delivers an integrated workflow solution for polymer molecular dynamics research, leveraging its graphical modeling interface, high-precision simulation engines and extensible scripting architecture. To address the lack of efficient automated modeling tools for polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membranes within this platform, this study developed an intelligent crosslinking script, xlink. This tool employs heuristic algorithms to automatically identify acyl chloride groups (-COCl) and amino groups (-NH2), and performs directional cross-linking. Integrated with the COMPASS Ⅱ force field, it enables precise control of cross-linking degree, significantly reducing modeling complexity for diverse systems such as m-phenylenediamine-trimesoyl chloride (MPD-TMC) and piperazine-trimesoyl chloride (PIP-TMC). Validation using the MPD-TMC system demonstrated that the densities of the dry and hydrated membranes closely matched experimental values for commercial membrane (e.g., FT30). Water diffusion behavior and solvation structure characteristics aligned with membrane separation mechanisms. Pore topology analysis further revealed the distribution patterns of free volume. This study establishes a high-precision molecular simulation framework for quantitatively correlating of  structure and performance of RO membrane, overcoming the technical limitations of traditional trial-and-error approaches. 
 

基金项目:
国家自然科学基金面上项目(52570030)

作者简介:
李娜(1995-),女,博士后,山东济南人,研究方向为聚酰胺膜的分子动力学模拟研究

参考文献:
[1]Elimelech M, Phillip W A. The future of seawater desalination: Energy, technology, and the environment[J]. Science, 2011, 333(6043): 712-717.
[2]邓麦村, 金万勤. 膜技术手册[M].北京:化学工业出版社,2020.
[3]Lim Y J, Goh K, Kurihara M, et al. Seawater desalination by reverse osmosis: Current development and future challenges in membrane fabrication - A review[J]. J Membr Sci, 2021, 629: 119292.
[4]Jahan Sajib M S, Wei Y, Mishra A, et al. Atomistic simulations of biofouling and molecular transfer of a cross-linked aromatic polyamide membrane for desalination[J]. Langmuir, 2020, 36(26): 7658-7668.
[5]Sarker P, Chen G T, Sajib M S J, et al. Hydration and antibiofouling of TMAO-derived zwitterionic polymers surfaces studied with atomistic molecular dynamics simulations[J]. Colloid Surface A, 2022, 653: 129943.
[6]Wei T, Sajib M S J, Samieegohar M, et al. Self-assembled monolayers of an azobenzene derivative on silica and their interactions with lysozyme[J]. Langmuir, 2015, 31(50): 13543-13552.
[7]Wei T, Huang T, Qiao B, et al. Structures, dynamics, and water permeation free energy across bilayers of lipid A and its analog studied with molecular dynamics simulation[J]. J Phys Chem B, 2014, 118(46): 13202-13209.
[8]Choubey A, Kalia Rajiv K, Malmstadt N, et al. Cholesterol translocation in a phospholipid membrane[J]. Biophys J, 2013, 104(11): 2429-2436.
[9]Rountree C L, Kalia R K, Lidorikis E, et al. Atomistic aspects of crack propagation in brittle materials: Multimillion atom molecular dynamics simulations[J]. Annual Reviews, 2002, 32: 377-400.
[10]van der Munnik N P, Sajib M S J, Moss M A, et al. Determining the potential of mean force for amyloid-β dimerization: Combining self-consistent field theory with molecular dynamics simulation[J]. J Chem Theory Comput, 2018, 14(5): 2696-2704.
[11]Zhang T, Wei T, Han Y, et al. Protein-ligand interaction detection with a novel method of transient induced molecular electronic spectroscopy (TIMES): Experimental and theoretical studies[J]. ACS Cent Sci, 2016, 2(11): 834-842.
[12]Yuan Z, McMullen P, Luozhong S, et al. Hidden hydrophobicity impacts polymer immunogenicity[J]. Chem Sci, 2023, 14(8): 2033-2039.
[13]Tao L, He J, Arbaugh T, et al. Machine learning prediction on the fractional free volume of polymer membranes[J]. J Membr Sci, 2023, 665: 121131.
[14]Samieegohar M, Sha F, Clayborne A Z, et al. ReaxFF MD simulations of peptide-grafted gold nanoparticles[J]. Langmuir, 2019, 35(14): 5029-5036.
[15]Sajib M S J, Samieegohar M, Wei T, et al. Atomic-level simulation study of n-hexane pyrolysis on silicon carbide surfaces[J]. Langmuir, 2017, 33(42): 11102-11108.
[16]Chenoweth K, Cheung S, van Duin A C T, et al. Simulations on the thermal decomposition of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymer using the ReaxFF reactive force field[J]. J Am Chem Soc, 2005, 127(19): 7192-7202.
[17]Lu X, Wang X, Li Q, et al. A ReaxFF-based molecular dynamics study of the pyrolysis mechanism of polyimide[J]. Polym Degrad and Stabil, 2015, 114: 72-80.
[18]Shekhar A, Nomura K I, Kalia R K, et al. Nanobubble collapse on a silica surface in water: Billion-atom reactive molecular dynamics simulations[J]. Phys Rev Lett, 2013, 111(18): 184503.
[19]Kotelyanskii M J, Wagner N J, Paulaitis M E. Atomistic simulation of water and salt transport in the reverse osmosis membrane FT-30[J]. J Membr Sci, 1998, 139(1): 1-16.
[20]Hughes Z E, Gale J D. A computational investigation of the properties of a reverse osmosis membrane[J]. J Mater Chem, 2010, 20(36): 7788-7799.
[21]Gao W, She F, Zhang J, et al. Understanding water and ion transport behaviour and permeability through poly(amide) thin film composite membrane[J]. J Membr Sci, 2015, 487: 32-39.
[22]Xiang Y, Liu Y, Mi B, et al. Molecular dynamics simulations of polyamide membrane, calcium alginate gel, and their interactions in aqueous solution[J]. Langmuir, 2014, 30(30): 9098-9106.
[23]Harder E, Walters D E, Bodnar Y D, et al. Molecular dynamics study of a polymeric reverse osmosis membrane[J]. J Phys Chem B, 2009, 113(30): 10177-10182.
[24]Luo Y, Harder E, Faibish R S, et al. Computer simulations of water flux and salt permeability of the reverse osmosis FT-30 aromatic polyamide membrane[J]. J Membr Sci, 2011, 384(1): 1-9.
[25]Kolev V, Freger V. Hydration, porosity and water dynamics in the polyamide layer of reverse osmosis membranes: A molecular dynamics study[J]. Polymer, 2014, 55(6): 1420-1426.
[26]Kolev V, Freger V. Molecular dynamics investigation of ion sorption and permeation in desalination membranes[J]. J Phys Chem B, 2015, 119(44): 14168-14179.
[27]Shen M, Keten S, Lueptow R M. Rejection mechanisms for contaminants in polyamide reverse osmosis membranes[J]. J Membr Sci, 2016, 509: 36-47.
[28]Gissinger J R, Jensen B D, Wise K E. Modeling chemical reactions in classical molecular dynamics simulations[J]. Polymer, 2017, 128: 211-217.
[29]Thompson A P, Aktulga H M, Berger R, et al. LAMMPS - a flexible simulation tool for particle-based materials modeling at the atomic, meso, and continuum scales[J]. Comput Phys Commun, 2022, 271: 108171.
[30]Abbott L J, Hart K E, Colina C M. Polymatic: a generalized simulated polymerization algorithm for amorphous polymers[J]. Theor Chem Acc, 2013, 132(3): 1334.
[31]Li K, Li S, Huang W, et al. MembrFactory: A force field and composition double independent universal tool for constructing polyamide reverse osmosis membranes[J]. J Comput Chem, 2019, 40(27): 2432-2438.
[32]Zhang C, Bu G, Sajib M S J, et al. PXLink: A simulation program of polymer crosslinking to study of polyamide membrane[J]. Comput Phys Commun, 2023, 291: 108840.
[33]Zhang H, Wu M S, Zhou K, et al. Molecular insights into the composition-structure-property relationships of polyamide thin films for reverse osmosis desalination[J]. Environ Sci Technol, 2019, 53(11): 6374-6382.
[34]Zhang X, Cahill D G, Coronell O, et al. Absorption of water in the active layer of reverse osmosis membranes[J]. J Membr Sci, 2009, 331(1/2): 143-151.
[35]Shen M, Keten S, Lueptow R M. Dynamics of water and solute transport in polymeric reverse osmosis membranes via molecular dynamics simulations[J]. J Membr Sci, 2016, 506: 95-108.
[36]Song X, Teuler J M, Guiga W, et al. Molecular simulation of a reverse osmosis polyamide membrane layer. In silico synthesis using different reactant concentration ratios[J]. J Membr Sci, 2022, 643:120010.
[37]Ding M, Ghoufi A, Szymczyk A. Molecular simulations of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes[J]. Desalination, 2014, 343: 48-53.
[38]Ding M, Szymczyk A, Ghoufi A. Hydration of a polyamide reverse-osmosis membrane[J]. J Membr Sci, 2016, 501: 248-253.
[39]Kotelyanskii M J, Wagner N J, Paulaitis M E. Molecular dynamics simulation study of the mechanisms of water diffusion in a hydrated, amorphous polyamide[J]. Computational and Theoretical Polymer Science, 1999, 9(3): 301-306.
 

服务与反馈:
文章下载】【加入收藏

《膜科学与技术》编辑部 地址:北京市朝阳区北三环东路19号蓝星大厦 邮政编码:100029 电话:010-64426130/64433466 传真:010-80485372邮箱:mkxyjs@163.com

京公网安备11011302000819号