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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

On the equivalence of nonequilibrium and equilibrium measurements of slip in molecular dynamics simulations

Here, we show that nonequilibrium and equilibrium measurements of slip are consistent, provided the hydrodynamic wall location associated with the equilibrium measurement is properly taken into account. The latter is a strong function of the fluid state and wall-fluid interaction and cannot be neglected as it typically has been. Our results are based on an alternative approach for calculating the hydrodynamic wall location which alleviates most of the difficulties associated with its calculation via a Green-Kubo integral that appear to have contributed to its neglect. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations are used to validate our approach including a model for calculating the slip length that does not involve a Green-Kubo integral.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Comparing theoretical predictions of radiation-free velocities of edge dislocations to molecular dynamics simulations

Transonic defect motion is of interest for high strain-rate plastic deformation as well as for crack propagation. Ever since Eshelby's 1949 prediction [J. D. Eshelby, Proc. Phys. Soc. A 62, 307 (1949)] in the isotropic limit of a “radiation-free” transonic velocity $v$ RF = $\sqrt{2}$c T , where shock waves are absent, there has been speculation about the significance of radiation-free velocities (if they truly exist) for defect mobility. Here, in this work, we argue that they do not play any significant role in dislocation dynamics in metals, based on comparing theoretical predictions of radiation-free velocities for transonic edge dislocations with molecular dynamics simulations for two face-centered cubic metals: Ag, where theory predicts radiation-free states, and Cu, where it does not.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Thermal transport in semicrystalline polyethylene by molecular dynamics simulation

Recent research has highlighted the potential to achieve high-thermal-conductivity polymers by aligning their molecular chains. Combined with other merits, such as low-cost, corrosion resistance, and light weight, such polymers are attractive for heat transfer applications. Due to their quasi-one-dimensional structural nature, the understanding on the thermal transport in those ultra-drawn semicrystalline polymer fibers or films is still lacking. Here, we built the ideal repeating units of semicrystalline polyethylene and studied their dependence of thermal conductivity on different crystallinity and interlamellar topology using the molecular dynamics simulations. We found that the conventional models, such as the Choy-Young's model, the series model, and Takayanagi's model, cannot accurately predict the thermal conductivity of the quasi-one-dimensional semicrystalline polyethylene. A modified Takayanagi's model was proposed to explain the dependence of thermal conductivity on the bridge number at intermediate and high crystallinity. We also analyzed the heat transfer pathways and demonstrated the substantial role of interlamellar bridges in the thermal transport in the semicrystalline polyethylene. Lastly, our work could contribute to the understanding of the structure–property relationship in semicrystalline polymers and shed some light on the development of plastic heat sinks and thermal management in flexible electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effect of Zwitterionic Additives on Solvation and Transport of Sodium and Potassium Cations in (Ethylene Oxide)10: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Sodium- (Na + ) and potassium- (K + ) ion batteries are cost-effective alternatives to lithium-ion (Li + ) batteries due to the abundant sodium and potassium resources. Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are essential for safer and more efficient Na + and K + batteries because they often exhibit low ionic conductivity at room temperature. While zwitterionic (ZW) materials enhance Li+ battery conductivity, their potential for Na + and K + transport in batteries remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effect of three ZW molecules (ChoPO4, i.e., 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, ImSO3, i.e., sulfobetaine ethylimidazole, and ImCO2, i.e., carboxybetaine ethylimidazole) on the dissociation of Na + and K + coordination with ethylene oxide (EO) chains in EO-based electrolytes through molecular dynamics simulations. Our results showed that ChoPO4 possessed the highest cation–EO10 dissociation ability, while ImSO3 exhibited the lowest. Such dissociation ability correlated with the cation–ZW molecule coordination strength: ChoPO4 and ImSO3 showed the strongest and the weakest coordination with cations. However, the cation–ZW molecule coordination could slow the cationic diffusion. The competition of these effects resulted in accelerating or decelerating cationic diffusion. Our simulated results showed that ImCO2 enhanced Na + diffusion by 20%, while ChoPO4 and ImSO3 led to a 10% reduction. For K + , ChoPO4 reduced its diffusion by 40%, while ImCO2 and ImSO3 caused a similar decrease of 15%. These findings suggest that the ZW structure and the cationic size play an important role in the ionic dissociation effect of ZW materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Frequency-dependent local field factors in dielectric liquids by a polarizable force field and molecular dynamics simulations

A force field model for calculating local field factors, i.e. the linear response of the local electric field for example at a nucleus in a molecule with respect to an applied electric field, is discussed. It is based on a combined charge-transfer and point-dipole interaction model for the polarizability, and thereby it includes two physically distinct terms for describing electronic polarization: changes in atomic charges arising from transfer of charge between the atoms and atomic induced dipole moments. A time dependence is included both for the atomic charges and the atomic dipole moments and if they are assumed to oscillate with the same frequency as the applied electric field, a model for frequency-dependent properties are obtained. Furthermore, if a life-time of excited states are included, a model for the complex frequency-dependent polariability is obtained including also information about excited states and the absorption spectrum. We thus present a model for the frequency-dependent local field factors through the first molecular excitation energy. It is combined with molecular dynamics simulations of liquids where a large set of configurations are sampled and for which local field factors are calculated. We are normally not interested in the average of the local field factor but rather in configurations where it is as high as possible. In electrical insulation, we would like to avoid high local field factors to reduce the risk for electrical breakdown, whereas for example in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, high local field factors are desired to give dramatically increased intensities.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Advanced analysis of laser-driven pulsed magnetic diffusion based on quantum molecular dynamics simulation

Magnetic diffusion plays an important role in inertial confinement fusion with strong magnetic fields. In this paper, we improve a previous analysis of the generation and diffusion of the magnetic field [Morita et al., Phys. Plasmas 25, 094505 (2018)]. For the generation process, we calculate the temporal evolution of the coil current using a self-consistent circuit model. The results show that the peak of the calculated magnetic field is delayed by 1.2 ns compared with that of the incident laser pulse. For the diffusion process, we evaluate the electrical conductivity of warm dense gold over a wide temperature range (300 K–100 eV) by combining the Kubo–Greenwood formula based on a quantum molecular dynamics simulation with the modified Spitzer model. Our simulation shows that the maximum magnetic field (530 T) that penetrates the cone is delayed by 2.5 ns compared with the laser peak. This result is consistent with experiments [Sakata et al., Nat. Commun. 9, 3937 (2018)] that showed that applying a strong magnetic field improved the heating efficiency of fusion fuel.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nucleation of Salt Crystals in Clay Minerals: Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Nucleation of salt crystals in confined media occurs in many processes of high importance, such as injection of CO 2 in geological formations for its sequestration. Specifically, salt precipitation in clays, a main component of sedimentary rock, is an important phenomenon. The crystals precipitate on the pores’ surface, modify the pore space morphology, and reduce its flow and transport properties. Despite numerous efforts to understand the mechanisms of nucleation of salt crystals in confined media, the effect of the clay’s chemistry on the growth, distribution, and properties of the crystals is not well understood. We discuss the results of extensive molecular dynamics simulation of nucleation and growth of NaCl crystals in a clay pore using molecular models of two types of clay minerals, Na-montmorillonite and kaolinite. Clear evidence is introduced for the nucleation of the salt crystals that indicates that the molecular structure of clay minerals affects their spatial distribution, although the nucleation mechanism is the same in both types of clays.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effect of different manufacturing methods on polyamide reverse-osmosis membranes for desalination: Insights from molecular dynamics simulations

Membranes are a key technology platform for a broad application of energy-efficient separations. To best serve the separation demands of industry, the manufacturing processes for these membranes are garnering increasing attention. In particular, for water desalination, the industry leading polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes can be manufactured via molecular layer-by-layer (mLBL) deposition, interfacial polymerization (IP), and 3D-printing technique. However, the influence of different manufacturing methods on PA membrane’s properties is far from understood. Here, in this study, we present the high-pressure transport behavior of water and salt ions for PA membranes formed with IP, mLBL, and 3D-printing through non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. Studies show that membranes fabricated with 3D-printing have similar performances to those manufactured using mLBL, quantified by water permeability, rejection of salt ions, structural integrity, and porosity features. However, the membranes formed with IP exhibit faster water transport, lower rejection, worse structural integrity, and more inhomogeneous network pores than those constructed using mLBL and 3D-printing. The unconnected water-accessible space governs water transport for PA membranes formed with mLBL and 3D-printing, which offers the impermanent open-closed pores that enable water to jump through PA membranes. In contrast, the permeated water-enterable space plays a prominent role in water movement across the PA membrane formed with IP, providing a continuous transport channel at high pressure. Importantly, we observe the more significant compaction features at high pressure for PA membranes formed with IP than mLBL and 3D printing. In short, these findings provide a comprehensive understanding of existing membrane preparation technologies. It also provides a guide for developing the new membrane preparation process at the molecular level.

3D-printing↗
DOE OSTI2019

Studies of NMR, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation of new promising inhibitors of cruzaine from the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi

Cruzaine is the major cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi. Cruzaine is involved throughout the parasite’s life cycle in host cells, and is a promising target in the search for new antichagasic agents. Quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT B3LYP/cc-pVDZ) were performed to obtain nuclear magnetic resonance data and to optimize the geometry of four dihydrochalcones. The results showed good agreement with the experimental data and were used to suggest the relative stereochemistry of one of the four dihydrochalcones studied. In addition, we evaluated the interaction of cruzaine with these new inhibitors. We used molecular dynamics simulations, free energy calculations, and a per-residue energy decomposition method. It was observed that these molecules are capable of interacting with residues important for enzymatic activity, like Cys25, His161, and Asp160. The ranking of the inhibitors obtained from the binding free energy calculations is in agreement with that experimentally reported. The evaluation of the energy components involved in these calculations demonstrated that the van der Waals term is the major contributor to the drug–receptor stabilizing interactions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Active learning of a crystal plasticity flow rule from discrete dislocation dynamics simulations

Continuum-scale material deformation models, such as crystal plasticity (CP), can significantly enhance their predictive accuracy by incorporating input from lower-scale (i.e. mesoscale) models. The procedure to generate and extract the relevant information is however typically complex and ad hoc, involving decision and intervention by domain experts, leading to long development times. In this study, we develop a principled approach for calibration of continuum-scale models using lower scale information by representing a CP flow rule as a Gaussian process model. This representation allows for efficient parameter space exploration, guided by the uncertainty embedded in the model through a process known as Bayesian optimization (BO). We demonstrate a semi-autonomous BO loop which instantiates discrete dislocation dynamics simulations whose initial conditions are automatically chosen to optimize the uncertainty of a model CP flow rule. Our self-guided computational pipeline efficiently generated a dataset and corresponding model whose error, uncertainty, and physical feature sensitivities were validated with comparison to an independent dataset four times larger, demonstrating a valuable and efficient active learning implementation readily transferable to similar material systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Prediction of Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 Interfacial Conductance and Superlattice Thermal Conductivity Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ) and its alloys with antimony telluride (Sb 2 Te 3 ) have long been considered to be the best room-temperature bulk thermoelectric (TE) materials. In recent decades, proof-of-concept demonstrations on Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 nanostructures have shown high TE performance due to reduction in lattice thermal conductivities. Particularly, ultra-low thermal conductivities have been observed in Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 1D superlattices, leading to thermoelectric figures of merit (ZT) as high as 2.4. In contrast, very few computational studies have been performed to provide insight into the phonon transport across these nanostructures. In this work, we use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations with previously developed force fields to simulate thermal transport across Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 interfaces and superlattices. We first calculate the thermal conductance associated with a Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 interface across a temperature range of 200–400 K. Furthermore, the values are also compared with thermal conductances calculated by a modified Landauer transport formalism using phonon transmission coefficients obtained from the diffuse mismatch model. Our results show that inelastic scattering processes contribute to an increase in interfacial thermal conductance at higher temperatures. Finally, we calculate the thermal conductivities of Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 superlattices with varying period lengths from 2 to 18 nm. A minimum thermal conductivity of 0.27 W/mK is observed at a period length of 4 nm, which is attributed to the competition between incoherent and coherent phonon transport regimes. In comparison with previous experimental measurements in the literature, our results show good agreement with respect to the range of thermal conductivity values and the period length corresponding to the minimum superlattice thermal conductivity.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Hydration and Swelling of Mixed-Layer Clays

Swelling of clay minerals is important to a broad class of problems in science and engineering. While the problem has been extensively studied experimentally, past molecular modeling of the phenomenon was focused on pure clays of one type or another. In practice, however, there is a diverse class of mixed-layer clays (MLCs) in sedimentary rock with intermixed stacking sequence of two or more types of distinct layers within a single crystal. In fact, more than 60% of sedimentary rocks in the U.S. contain various types of MLCs. In this work, we present the results, to our knowledge, of the first molecular dynamics simulation of hydration energetics and swelling of illite–montmorillonite (I–MMT) MLCs, the most common type of mixed clays. The swelling is studied as a function of the water concentration with three combinations of interlayer cations, namely, Na + and K + . The hydration energies, the radial distribution functions, and the density profiles in the interlayer region are computed. For regular Na–MMT with layer charge concentrated in the octahedral sheet, weak cation–surface interaction results in fully hydrated ions and significant swelling. In the asymmetric interlayer of the MLC, however, the illite sheet with stronger interaction of surface and ions causes adsorption of the cations deep in the ditrigonal cavities of the siloxane surface. Given that the hydration enthalpy of K + is smaller than that of Na + , its hydration shell is quite unstable compared with that of Na+. Therefore, swelling is inhibited as the ratio K + /Na + increases. Finally, the results demonstrate the significant differences between the hydration and swelling properties of pure clays and the mixed ones, which have important implications in practice, particularly for sequestration of CO 2 in sedimentary rock.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Equation of state calculations for two-dimensional dust coulomb crystal at near zero temperature by molecular dynamics simulations

Dust particles observed in universe as well as in laboratory and technological plasma devices are still under investigation. At low temperature, these particles are strongly negatively charged and are able to form a 2D or 3D coulomb crystal. In this work, our aim was to check the ideal gas law validity for a 2D single-layer dust crystal recently reported in the literature. For this purpose, we have simulated, using the molecular dynamics method, its thermodynamic properties for different values of dust particles number and confinement parameters. The obtained results have allowed us to invalidate the ideal gas behaviour and to propose an effective equation of state which assumes a near zero dust temperature. Furthermore, the value of the calculated sound velocity was found to be in a good agreement with experimental data published elsewhere.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fluid-phase helium: Shock-compression experiments, quantum molecular dynamics simulations, and development of an equation of state

Helium (He) plays a critical role in numerous areas ranging from the study of celestial objects like brown dwarfs and gas giants to modern-day technologies like nuclear energy and rocket propulsion. For many of these applications, it is essential to have a reliable equation of state (EOS) for He that yields an accurate representation of its thermodynamic behavior. To help constrain and develop such EOS models, we have performed a series of shock-compression experiments on cryogenic liquid He to pressures exceeding 100 GPa using a magnetically accelerated flyer plate on Sandia National Laboratories' Z-machine. We have also performed quantum molecular dynamics simulations that are consistent with our shock measurements. None of the previously available EOSs agree with our experimental and simulation results, motivating the development of a fluid-phase He EOS that we present in this study. Here, we show that our EOS yields good agreement with published data that span temperatures and pressures encountered across a diverse array of applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fluid dynamic simulation and analysis of water-cooling systems for the Electron-Ion Collider

The Electron-Ion Collider is the newest large-scale project at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The collider’s purpose is to provide further advancements in the knowledge of the universe’s origin by accelerating particles near the speed of light. Our project for this 3.8 km ring was to create a thermal hydraulic steady-state simulation design of the water-cooling system to be cost-effective and energy efficient, as envisioned by Charlie Foltz, the EIC Infrastructure Division Director. The system would include a supply and return header, which cools several thousand components of the ring. The water would then be returned and cooled down using a system of cooling towers and plate and frame heat exchangers. Due to the size of the system and the complexity of the network analysis, a fluid dynamic simulation software, AFT Fathom, was used. Since previous methods of maintaining systems relied on building upon smaller real-life models and implementing empirical data, this flow model was unique and first of a kind in the domain of accelerator design, construction and operation. Therefore, our hydraulic team piloted a new method to perform network analysis on a large scale cooling system. We successfully created several test scenarios for system behavior in a shorter time compared to the method of performing hand calculations. Cooling specifications for heat rejection, pressure drop, flow rate, and pipe sizing were changed based on the individual systems of the vacuum, radio frequency (RF), magnet and power supply, and cryogenics sections. Finally, we used DOE guidelines to perform life-cycle cost analysis with net present value and carbon saving analysis on the systems where pipe size could be optimized.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microscale mechanical property variations of Al-substituted LLZO: insights from compression testing and molecular dynamics simulations

Ceramic solid electrolytes based on LLZO (Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 ) are promising candidates for all-solid-state batteries due to their high ionic conductivity and good apparent stability vs. lithium metal, however they are prone to mechanical failure. Lithium metal intrusions, alongside cell stack pressure, transition polycrystalline solid electrolyte grains into a compressed state that promotes crack propagation and fracture. Here this work examines the mechanical response of Al-substituted LLZO to compressive forces by measuring ultimate strength under pillar compression with a flat punch tip. Failure modes characterized by in situ scanning electron microscopy show diverse splitting patterns arising from internal porosity, grain boundaries, and slip planes. Large correlated variations in compressive strength (0.93–2.63 GPa) and Young's modulus (72.1–150.97 GPa) are observed across microscale regions of the solid electrolyte. Molecular dynamics simulations of LLZO with different porosities describe the variation of compressive strength and Young's modulus, and enable a microscale porosity model to be fit accounting for Young's modulus reduction across the solid electrolyte. Overall, the results indicate the importance of microscale mechanical testing of ceramic solid electrolytes to identify preferential sites for mechanical degradation and Li intrusion, and ensure the robust design of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Li 3 Y(PS 4 ) 2 and Li 5 PS 4 Cl 2 : New Lithium Superionic Conductors Predicted from Silver Thiophosphates using Efficiently Tiered Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We report two novel, earth-abundant lithium superionic conductors, Li3Y(PS4)2 and Li5PS4Cl2, that are predicted to satisfy the necessary combination of good phase stability, high Li+ conductivity, wide band gap and good electrochemical stability for solid electrolyte applications in all-solid-state rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. These candidates were identified from a high-throughput first-principles screening of the Li–P–S ternary and Li–M–P–S (where M is a non-redox-active element) quaternary chemical spaces, including candidates obtained by replacing Ag with Li in the Ag–P–S and Ag–M–P–S chemical spaces. An efficient tiered screening strategy was developed that combines topological analysis with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to exclude rapidly candidates unlikely to satisfy the stringent conductivity requirements of lithium superionic conductors. In particular, we find Li3Y(PS4)2 to be an extremely promising candidate exhibiting a room-temperature Li+ conductivity of 2.16 mS/cm, which can be increased multifold to 7.14 and 5.25 mS/cm via aliovalent doping with Ca2+ and Zr4+, respectively. More critically, we show that the phase and electrochemical stability of Li3Y(PS4)2 is expected to be better than current state-of-the-art lithium superionic conductors.

Zhu, Zhuoying↗
DOE OSTI2014

Conformational dynamics of a crystalline protein from microsecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations and diffuse X-ray scattering

Significance A major challenge of protein crystallography is to accurately describe protein structure variations. Whereas Bragg peaks only yield a picture in which the variations are superimposed, diffuse X-ray scattering (diffraction between the peaks) reports on the way different atoms move together and can be used to increase the accuracy of models. We have performed a molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation of crystalline staphylococcal nuclease, yielding a rich picture of functionally important motions. This simulation is 100-fold longer than previous studies and yields reproducible calculations of diffuse intensity, overcoming a major challenge in the field. Experimental data support the MD models and indicate that diffuse scattering can be used both to validate and to improve MD simulations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗