Water behavior in the neighborhood of hydrophilic and hydrophobic membranes: Lessons from molecular dynamics simulations

The study of properties of water in the vicinity of surfaces poses a fascinating challenge. In this article we studied the behavior of water molecules in the neighborhood of membranes. We addressed the question of how these water molecules are influenced by the membranes’ hydrophilicity. Three systems were studied through molecular dynamics simulations: water in the presence of a hydrophilic membrane (PL), water in the presence of a hydrophobic (PB) one and water in the absence of membranes (BULK). Additionally, in order to study the dependence of the effect of the membrane on the behavior of neighboring water molecules with temperature, each system was simulated at three different temperatures (K): 250, 300 and 350. For each condition, kinetic and structural features were studied. The first feature involved the calculation of diffusion coefficients and activation energy. The second feature was evaluated through the study of water density and hydrogen bond distribution. From the present study we concluded that: (1) density studies underestimate the influence of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic membranes on the neighboring water molecules; (2) the hydrophilic and hydrophobic membranes disturb the hydrogen bond network within distances ranging from 1 to 8 nm, depending on the nature of the membrane and the temperature conditions; (3) the presence of a hydrophobic surface results in an enhancement of the natural hydrogen bond network present in liquid water, to a greater extent than what even an ordered Ih ice structure is able to achieve (i.e. PL membrane); (4) the structural enhancement due to the presence of a hydrophobic surface involves roughly 18 to 24 water hydration layers, for ambient and above temperature conditions.