Electron solvation in aqueous reverse micelles: Equilibrium properties

Microscopic aspects of electron solvation in aqueous reverse micelles are investigated using molecular dynamics simulation techniques. Two micelle sizes, with water/surfactant ratios of 3 and 7.5, are examined. The electron is treated quantum mechanically using Feynman path integral methods while the water, surfactant head groups, and counter ions are treated classically. Through computations of the free energy as a function of the radial distance, the electron is found to be preferentially solvated in the interior of the micelle in the “bulk” water pool. For small micelles, the presence of the electron leads to a depletion of water in the central region of the micelle and thus strongly disrupts the water equilibrium structure. Contact and solvent-separated ion pairs between the electron and ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ counter ions are found to play an important role in the equilibrium structure. For the two micelle sizes investigated, the most stable solvation structures correspond to contact ion pairs. The localization of the electronic charge distribution is found to increase with micelle size, signaling more efficient solvation in larger micelles.