Adsorption-Induced Expansion of Graphene Oxide Frameworks with Covalently Bonded Benzene-1,4-diboronic Acid: Numerical Studies

Abstract

Graphene oxide frameworks (GOFs) are interesting adsorbent materials with well-defined slit-shaped pores of almost monodisperse separation of ∼1 nm between graphene-like layers; however, the exact nature of the structure has remained undetermined. Recently, GOFs were observed to swell monotonically upon the adsorption of methane and xenon under supercritical conditions. Here, we present the results of molecular dynamics simulations of the adsorption of methane and xenon for various proposed GOF structures based upon force fields based on ab initio B3LYP density functional theory calculations. The simulations reproduce well both the adsorption isotherms and the expansion of the interlayer spacing for methane and xenon for a model of GOFs formed by covalently bonded benzene-1,4-diboronic acid oriented at quasirandom angles with respect to the graphene layers.