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Iida Y, Hiratsuka T, Miyahara MT, Watanabe S. Mechanism of Nucleation Pathway Selection in Binary Lennard-Jones Solution: A Combined Study of Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Free Energy Analysis. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:3524-3533. [PMID: 37027488 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c08893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
The nucleation process, which is the initial step in particle synthesis, determines the properties of the resultant particles. Although recent studies have observed various nucleation pathways, the physical factors that determine these pathways have not been fully elucidated. Herein, we conducted molecular dynamics simulations in a binary Lennard-Jones system as a model solution and found that the nucleation pathway can be classified into four types depending on microscopic interactions. The key parameters are (1) the strength of the solute-solute interaction and (2) the difference between the strengths of the like-pair and unlike-pair interactions. The increment of the former alters the nucleation mechanism from a two-step to a one-step pathway, whereas that of the latter causes quick assembly of solutes. Moreover, we developed a thermodynamic model based on the formation of core-shell nuclei to calculate the free energy landscapes. Our model successfully described the pathway observed in the simulations and demonstrated that the two parameters, (1) and (2), define the degree of supercooling and supersaturation, respectively. Thus, our model interpreted the microscopic insights from a macroscopic point of view. Because the only inputs required for our model are the interaction parameters, our model can a priori predict the nucleation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Iida
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
| | - Tatsumasa Hiratsuka
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
| | - Minoru T Miyahara
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
| | - Satoshi Watanabe
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
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2
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Bowles RK, Harrowell P. Influence on crystal nucleation of an order-disorder transition among the subcritical clusters. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:L062602. [PMID: 35854518 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.l062602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Studies of nucleation generally focus on the properties of the critical cluster, but the presence of defects within the crystal lattice means that the population of nuclei necessarily evolve through a distribution of precritical clusters with varying degrees of structural disorder on their way to forming a growing stable crystal. To investigate the role precritical clusters play in nucleation, we develop a simple thermodynamic model for crystal nucleation in terms of cluster size and the degree of cluster order that allows us to alter the work of forming the precritical clusters without affecting the properties of the critical cluster. The steady state and transient nucleation behavior of the system are then studied numerically, for different microscopic ordering kinetics. We find that the model exhibits a generic order-disorder transition in the precritical clusters. Independent of the types of ordering kinetics, increasing the accessibility of disordered precritical clusters decreases both the steady state nucleation rate and the nucleation lag time. Furthermore, the interplay between the free-energy surface and the microscopic ordering kinetics leads to three distinct nucleation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard K Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7H 0H1
- Centre for Quantum Topology and its Applications (quanTA), University of Saskatchewan, SK, Canada S7N 5E6
| | - Peter Harrowell
- School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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3
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Bulutoglu PS, Wang S, Boukerche M, Nere NK, Corti DS, Ramkrishna D. An investigation of the kinetics and thermodynamics of NaCl nucleation through composite clusters. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac033. [PMID: 36713321 PMCID: PMC9802385 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Having a good understanding of nucleation is critical for the control of many important processes, such as polymorph selection during crystallization. However, a complete picture of the molecular-level mechanisms of nucleation remains elusive. In this work, we take an in-depth look at the NaCl homogeneous nucleation mechanism through thermodynamics. Distinguished from the classical nucleation theory, we calculate the free energy of nucleation as a function of two nucleus size coordinates: crystalline and amorphous cluster sizes. The free energy surface reveals a thermodynamic preference for a nonclassical mechanism of nucleation through a composite cluster, where the crystalline nucleus is surrounded by an amorphous layer. The thickness of the amorphous layer increases with an increase in supersaturation. The computed free energy landscape agrees well with the composite cluster-free energy model, through which phase specific thermodynamic properties are evaluated. As the supersaturation increases, there is a change in stability of the amorphous phase relative to the solution phase, resulting in a change from one-step to two-step mechanism, seen clearly from the free energy profile along the minimum free energy path crossing the transition curve. By obtaining phase-specific diffusion coefficients, we construct the full mesoscopic model and present a clear roadmap for NaCl nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pelin S Bulutoglu
- Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2100, USA
| | - Shiyan Wang
- Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2100, USA
| | - Moussa Boukerche
- Process Research and Development , AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Nandkishor K Nere
- Process Research and Development , AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - David S Corti
- Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2100, USA
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4
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McClure JE, Berg S, Armstrong RT. Thermodynamics of fluctuations based on time-and-space averages. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:035106. [PMID: 34654200 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.035106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We develop nonequilibrium theory by using averages in time and space as a generalized way to upscale thermodynamics in nonergodic systems. The approach offers a classical perspective on the energy dynamics in fluctuating systems. The rate of entropy production is shown to be explicitly scale dependent when considered in this context. We show that while any stationary process can be represented as having zero entropy production, second law constraints due to the Clausius theorem are preserved due to the fact that heat and work are related based on conservation of energy. As a demonstration, we consider the energy dynamics for the Carnot cycle and for Maxwell's demon. We then consider nonstationary processes, applying time-and-space averages to characterize nonergodic effects in heterogeneous systems where energy barriers such as compositional gradients are present. We show that the derived theory can be used to understand the origins of anomalous diffusion phenomena in systems where Fick's law applies at small length scales, but not at large length scales. We further characterize fluctuations in capillary-dominated systems, which are nonstationary due to the irreversibility of cooperative events.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E McClure
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| | - Steffen Berg
- Shell Global Solutions International B.V., Grasweg 31, 1031HW Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ryan T Armstrong
- School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
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5
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Eaton D, Saika-Voivod I, Bowles RK, Poole PH. Free energy surface of two-step nucleation. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:234507. [PMID: 34241260 DOI: 10.1063/5.0055877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We test the theoretical free energy surface (FES) for two-step nucleation (TSN) proposed by Iwamatsu [J. Chem. Phys. 134, 164508 (2011)] by comparing the predictions of the theory to numerical results for the FES recently reported from Monte Carlo simulations of TSN in a simple lattice system [James et al., J. Chem. Phys. 150, 074501 (2019)]. No adjustable parameters are used to make this comparison. That is, all the parameters of the theory are evaluated directly for the model system, yielding a predicted FES, which we then compare to the FES obtained from simulations. We find that the theoretical FES successfully predicts the numerically evaluated FES over a range of thermodynamic conditions that spans distinct regimes of behavior associated with TSN. All the qualitative features of the FES are captured by the theory, and the quantitative comparison is also very good. Our results demonstrate that Iwamatsu's extension of classical nucleation theory provides an excellent framework for understanding the thermodynamics of TSN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Eaton
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Ivan Saika-Voivod
- Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland A1B 3X7, Canada
| | - Richard K Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 57N 5C9, Canada
| | - Peter H Poole
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
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Finney A, Salvalaglio M. Multiple Pathways in NaCl Homogeneous Crystal Nucleation. Faraday Discuss 2021; 235:56-80. [DOI: 10.1039/d1fd00089f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
NaCl crystal nucleation from metastable solutions has long been considered to occur according to a single-step mechanism where the growth in the size and crystalline order of the emerging nuclei...
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James D, Beairsto S, Hartt C, Zavalov O, Saika-Voivod I, Bowles RK, Poole PH. Phase transitions in fluctuations and their role in two-step nucleation. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:074501. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5057429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniella James
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Seamus Beairsto
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Carmen Hartt
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Oleksandr Zavalov
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
| | - Ivan Saika-Voivod
- Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 3X7, Canada
| | - Richard K. Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 57N 5C9, Canada
| | - Peter H. Poole
- Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada
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9
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Esat K, David G, Poulkas T, Shein M, Signorell R. Phase transition dynamics of single optically trapped aqueous potassium carbonate particles. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:11598-11607. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cp00599k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
This study reveals that complex multiple processes occur during efflorescence and deliquescence in unsupported, submicron sized particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kıvanç Esat
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry
- ETH Zürich
- Zürich
- Switzerland
| | - Grégory David
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry
- ETH Zürich
- Zürich
- Switzerland
| | | | - Mikhail Shein
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry
- ETH Zürich
- Zürich
- Switzerland
| | - Ruth Signorell
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry
- ETH Zürich
- Zürich
- Switzerland
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10
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Iwamatsu M. Nucleation and growth of a core-shell composite nucleus by diffusion. Phys Rev E 2017; 95:042803. [PMID: 28505766 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.95.042803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The critical radius of a core-shell-type nucleus grown by diffusion in a phase-separated solution is studied. A kinetic critical radius rather than the thermodynamic critical radius of standard classical nucleation theory can be defined from the diffusional growth equations. It is shown that there exist two kinetic critical radii for the core-shell-type nucleus, for which both the inner-core radius and the outer-shell radius will be stationary. Therefore, these two critical radii correspond to a single critical point of the nucleation path with a single energy barrier even though the nucleation looks like a two-step process. The two radii are given by formulas similar to that of classical nucleation theory if the Ostwald-Freundlich boundary condition is imposed at the surface of the inner nucleus and that of the outer shell. The subsequent growth of a core-shell-type postcritical nucleus follows the classical picture of Ostwald's step rule. Our result is consistent with some of the experimental and numerical results which suggest the core-shell-type critical nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masao Iwamatsu
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tokyo City University, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8557, Japan
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11
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Qi W, Peng Y, Han Y, Bowles RK, Dijkstra M. Nonclassical Nucleation in a Solid-Solid Transition of Confined Hard Spheres. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2015; 115:185701. [PMID: 26565475 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.115.185701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A solid-solid phase transition of colloidal hard spheres confined between two planar hard walls is studied using a combination of molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation. The transition from a solid consisting of five crystalline layers with square symmetry (5□) to a solid consisting of four layers with triangular symmetry (4△) is shown to occur through a nonclassical nucleation mechanism that involves the initial formation of a precritical liquid cluster, within which the cluster of the stable 4△ phase grows. Free-energy calculations show that the transition occurs in one step, crossing a single free-energy barrier, and that the critical nucleus consists of a small 4△ solid cluster wetted by a metastable liquid. In addition, the liquid cluster and the solid cluster are shown to grow at the planar hard walls. We also find that the critical nucleus size increases with supersaturation, which is at odds with classical nucleation theory. The △-solid-like cluster is shown to contain both face-centered-cubic and hexagonal-close-packed ordered particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weikai Qi
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Yi Peng
- Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yilong Han
- Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Richard K Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
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12
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Shchekin AK, Shabaev IV, Hellmuth O. Thermodynamic and kinetic theory of nucleation, deliquescence and efflorescence transitions in the ensemble of droplets on soluble particles. J Chem Phys 2013; 138:054704. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4789309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
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13
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Iwamatsu M. Nucleation pathway of core-shell composite nucleus in size and composition space and in component space. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2012; 86:041604. [PMID: 23214596 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.86.041604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The kinetics of nucleation of a core-shell composite nucleus that consists of a core of stable final phase surrounded by a wetting layer of intermediate metastable phase is studied using the kinetic theory of binary nucleation not only in the size and composition space but also in the component space. The steady-state solution of the Fokker-Planck equation is considered. Various formulas for the critical nucleus at the saddle point as well as for the postcritical nucleus are derived. The kinetics of nucleation at the saddle point is more appropriately characterized in the size and composition space, while the kinetics of the postcritical nucleus is more appropriately described in the component space. Although both the free-energy landscape and the reaction rates play decisive role to determine the kinetics of nucleation at the saddle point, the details of the free-energy landscape are irrelevant to the kinetics of the postcritical nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masao Iwamatsu
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tokyo City University, Tokyo 158-8557, Japan.
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14
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Iwamatsu M. Steady-state nucleation rate and flux of composite nucleus at saddle point. J Chem Phys 2012; 136:204702. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4721395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Masao Iwamatsu
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tokyo City University, Tokyo 158-8557, Japan.
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15
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Iwamatsu M. A note on the nucleation with multiple steps: Parallel and series nucleation. J Chem Phys 2012; 136:044701. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3679440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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