Heterogeneous Condensation of Water on the Mica (001) Surface: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Work

Water vapor condensation on the solid surface is ubiquitous in nature and has considerable importance in industrial applications. In this work, molecular dynamics simulation is used to investigate the kinetic process of water condensation on the mica surface as well as the properties of adsorbed water. The water molecules tend to spread on the mica surface and develop a water film comprised of two distinct adlayers. The growth of the first water adlayer is inhomogeneous due to the discrepancy of adsorption tendency to different surface sites. Interestingly, the second water adlayer begins to emerge far before the surface sites of mica are completely occupied. Our observations resemble the condensation process described by the Stranski–Krastanov growth model. These findings exhibit the dependence of water condensation on the surface properties.