Optimization of the anisotropic united atoms intermolecular potential for n-alkanes: improvement of transport properties.

The parameters of the anisotropic united atom (AUA) intermolecular potential for n-alkanes originally proposed by Toxvaerd [J. Chem. Phys. 93, 4290 (1990)] [AUA(3)] was optimized by Ungerer et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 112, 5499 (2000)] [AUA(4)] on the basis of equilibrium properties (vapor pressures, vaporization enthalpies, and liquid densities). In this work we analyze the influence of the torsion potential in the internal and collective dynamics of the AUA model. The modified potential [AUA(4m)] preserves all the intermolecular parameters and only explores an increment in the trans-gauche and gauche(+)-gauche(-) transition barrier of the torsion potential. This modification better reproduce different transport properties (shear viscosity, self-diffusion coefficient, and internal relaxation times), keeping the accuracy achieved in our previous work for equilibrium properties. An extensive investigation of the shear viscosity of ethane, n-pentane, n-dodecane, and n-eicosane in a wide range of pressures and temperatures shows that the AUA(4m) improves the accuracy of the original AUA(4), reducing the absolute average deviation from 30% to 14.5%. Finally, the self-diffusion coefficient of n-hexane computed with the new model in the range of 223-333 K and from 0.1 to 295 MPa is in better agreement with respect to the experimental data than the original model.