Effect of Aggregated Gas Molecules on Dewetting Transition of Water Between Nanoscale Hydrophobic Plates

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we have investigated the hydrophobic interactions and influence of nitrogen molecules on the critical distance of dewetting between the nanoscale hydrophobic plates. We show that dewetting transition is very sensitive to the distribution of nitrogen molecules. The nitrogen molecules prefer to aggregate in the vicinity of the two hydrophobic plates and exclude water molecules. Furthermore, our simulation results indicate that the effective range of hydrophobic attraction between the two nanoscale plates is enhanced by the aggregated nitrogen molecules. In particular, we find that the distribution patterns of nitrogen molecules are very different when the inter-plate region is filled with water or dewetted. These findings are helpful to understand the effects of gas molecules dissolved in water on hydrophobic interactions.