title: Dynamics of capillary drying in water.
abstract: We use atomistic simulations to address the question when capillary evaporation of water confined in a hydrocarbonlike slit is kinetically viable. Activation barriers and absolute rates of evaporation are estimated using open ensemble Monte Carlo-umbrella sampling and molecular dynamics simulations. At ambient conditions, the evaporation rate in a water film four molecular diameters thick is found to be of the order 10(5)(nm(2) s)(-1), meaning that water readily evaporates. Films more than a few nanometers thick will persist in a metastable liquid state. Dissolved atmospheric gas molecules do not significantly decrease the activation barrier.
authors.affiliation: Sandia National Laboratories, MS 1421, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Alenka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luzar
authors.forename: Dusan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bratko