Effects of surface oxygen of activated carbon on alkaloid adsorption: A molecular dynamics simulation study

The influence of the density and the type of surface oxygen on the adsorption of berberine alkaloid onto activated carbon was investigated using the molecular dynamics simulation method in vacuum. The carbon surface consisted of a basal plane of graphite and surface oxygen groups which were bonded on the graphite plane in a regular square array with various densities. Two types of surface oxygen groups, =O and -OH, were employed. The simulation results showed that the berberine alkaloids were favorable to be adsorbed on the negative charged carbon surfaces. It was indicated that the vdw attraction of the carbon surface to the alkaloid molecule dominates the adsorption only at the lower surface density of oxygen. It is also indicated that a good adsorptive selectivity for a certain berberine alkaloid can be obtained by controlling the density of surface oxygen. The adsorption simulation of berberine alkaloids onto activated carbon in the presence of water was also carried out by using a dome-shape molecular model for presenting the alkaloid/water/carbon system. It was found that the adsorption of berberine alkaloids on the activated carbon which has a higher density of surface oxygen was strongly inhibited by the presence of water.