Molecular dynamics simulations of polyphosphazenes: poly[bis(chloro)phosphazene][NPCl₂] _n

Abstract

Suitable parameter sets for the CHARMm force field were derived for the structural units in polychlorophosphazene [P=N, P N, P Cl] using the Dinur Hagler energy second derivative procedure based on quantum mechanical SCI calculations using the 6–31G^* basis set. To validate the reliability of the parameter set, structural results obtained with CHARMm for the adopted model compounds (OP₂NCl₅ and OP₃N₂Cl₅) were compared with those derived fromab initio quantum mechanics using the 6–31G^* basis set. Application of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in combinatioin with the available X-ray diffraction data provided structural and conformational information on the polymer. The calculation made using the periodic boundary conditions (PBC) agree well with the polychlorophosphazene ordered in a monoclinic unit cell (a=5.98,b=12.99,c=4.92 A; β=111.7). This model was stabilized mainly by the image atoms contribution to the electrostatic energy term and had aquasi-planar conformation of the backbone chain (glide symmetry). The MD calculations also provided evidence that the difference between single and double PN bonds is less marked than that measured experimentally. This result is, however, in agreement with more recent and accurate X-ray studies on poly(methylphosphazene). Validation of the polymer model provided a complete picture, otherwise experimentally inaccessible, of the internal fluctuations of the polymeric chains.