Elucidating Trace Gas Interactions with Ice Surfaces using Molecular Dynamics

Abstract

Recent experimental work carried out by Yettapu, Manning, and Cyran on ice / vapor interfaces revealed changes in sum frequency generation (SFG) signals at ~ 3170 cm$^{-1}$ depending on whether acetone or methanol was adsorbed onto the ice at 223 K. They linked the transformation of that signal to the induced melting of the ice crystal. We present molecular dynamics modeling of their experiments using methanol and acetone layers adsorbed on the basal facet of a proton-ordered Ice-Ih crystal at temperatures of 223 K and 265 K. The width of the quasi-liquid layer (QLL), O-H bond frequencies, calculated SFG signals, and hydrogen bonding statistics all indicate changes due to the presence of the adsorbates. While we see no significant adsorbate-based differences in QLL formation, we find at 223 K that acetone preserves under-coordinated waters that are associated with a secondary water with a low frequency O-H bond, while methanol integrates more fully into the hydrogen bonding network, resulting in a narrower distribution of O-H bond frequencies. This change in hydrogen bonding produces a local modification of the electric field, which may contribute to the difference in the experimental SFG signals at low frequencies.