The Intrinsic Density of a Nanoconfined Liquid*

Liquids confined to nanoscale geometries are ubiquitous in nature and important in many areas of science and technology. However, connecting the microscopic structure and dynamics of a confined liquid to its macroscopic behavior is a fundamental, unsolved problem in liquid-state physics. One key macroscopic property, the density, is highly fluid-dependent, and there is currently no rigorous way of assessing a confined liquid’s accessible volume. Here we present our work using the spectrum of intermolecular vibrational modes to probe the intrinsic density of a confined liquid. In particular, molecular simulations to probe the density will be discussed.