Cesium stability in a typical mica structure in dry and wet environments from first-principles

Cesium ion stability in a typical mica structure in various environments of solid salts (XCl; X = Cs, K, and Na), metals (X) and saltwaters (XCl aqueous liquids) was investigated using first-principles density-functional theory (DFT) with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional as well as a van der Waals (vdW) corrected functional (vdW-DFC09x). We specifically examined interlayer ion-exchange in bulk phlogopite-type mica, which is expected to produce a well-defined benchmark in a thermodynamic equilibrium state. In general, theoretical models have well reproduced the experimental and theoretical data found in the literature from the viewpoints of structure, heat capacity, and entropy. The vdW-DFC09x lattice parameters of the mica appear to be better reproducible than the PBE parameters are. However, the vdW correction calculations of the thermodynamic properties with the harmonic approximation using the phonon frequencies showed poor results in some cases, whereas the PBE calculations yielded robust and reasonable results in terms of structure and thermodynamic properties. The isotope effect of the 137Cs atom appears to be confined in thermodynamic properties such as entropy, heat capacity, and ion-exchange energy, although the theoretical infrared spectra showed a small redshift ca. 1 cm−1 in the far-infrared region of 50-75 cm−1. The calculated RDF and the coordination number for X-O (i.e., X-H2O) for the saltwater model indicated that the Cs, K, and Na ions with respective hydrated radii of 0.323, 0.284, and 0.238 nm were surrounded, respectively, by 6.5, 4.5, and 4.0 of H2O molecules in a water solution. Ion-exchange energy values based on free-energy calculations around ambient temperatures derived using the PBE functional and a harmonic approximation suggest that the cesium ion in mica interlayer phlogopite is stable in an environment consisting of KCl, NaCl, K, and Na solids, and in NaCl saltwater as well. However, it can be exchanged competitively by potassium ion in the KCl saltwater environment. The theoretical ion-selectivity order of the mica interlayer site is Cs > K > Na (PBE, vdW-DFC09x) in the solid environment, whereas the order of K ⩾ Cs > Na (PBE) or K > Cs ⩾ Na (vdW-DFC09x) is suggested in the saltwater environment. This selectivity-order difference between Cs and K underscores the importance of investigating the physical and chemical states of the counterphase as well as the host materials, and suggests that catching and releasing of the Cs atom in micaceous soil is possible through solvent control from a thermodynamic perspective.