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de Jager M, Smallenburg F, Filion L. In search of a precursor for crystal nucleation of hard and charged colloids. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:134902. [PMID: 37787142 DOI: 10.1063/5.0161356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The interplay between crystal nucleation and the structure of the metastable fluid has been a topic of significant debate over recent years. In particular, it has been suggested that even in simple model systems such as hard or charged colloids, crystal nucleation might be foreshadowed by significant fluctuations in local structure around the location where the nucleus first arises. We investigate this using computer simulations of spontaneous nucleation events in both hard and charged colloidal systems. To detect local structural variations, we use both standard and unsupervised machine learning methods capable of finding hidden structures in the metastable fluid phase. We track numerous nucleation events for the face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic crystals on a local level and demonstrate that all signs of crystallinity emerge simultaneously from the very start of the nucleation process. We thus conclude that we observe no precursor for the crystal nucleation of hard and charged colloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjolein de Jager
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute of Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Smallenburg
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Laura Filion
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute of Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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2
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Becker S, Devijver E, Molinier R, Jakse N. Unsupervised topological learning for identification of atomic structures. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:045304. [PMID: 35590625 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.045304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We propose an unsupervised learning methodology with descriptors based on topological data analysis (TDA) concepts to describe the local structural properties of materials at the atomic scale. Based only on atomic positions and without a priori knowledge, our method allows for an autonomous identification of clusters of atomic structures through a Gaussian mixture model. We apply successfully this approach to the analysis of elemental Zr in the crystalline and liquid states as well as homogeneous nucleation events under deep undercooling conditions. This opens the way to deeper and autonomous study of complex phenomena in materials at the atomic scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Becker
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, SIMaP, F-38000 Grenoble, France
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LIG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Emilie Devijver
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, LIG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Rémi Molinier
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IF, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Noël Jakse
- University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, SIMaP, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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3
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Smallenburg F. Efficient event-driven simulations of hard spheres. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2022; 45:22. [PMID: 35274181 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-022-00180-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Hard spheres are arguably one of the most fundamental model systems in soft matter physics, and hence a common topic of simulation studies. Event-driven simulation methods provide an efficient method for studying the phase behavior and dynamics of hard spheres under a wide range of different conditions. Here, we examine the impact of several optimization strategies for speeding up event-driven molecular dynamics of hard spheres and present a light-weight simulation code that outperforms existing simulation codes over a large range of system sizes and packing fractions. The presented differences in simulation speed, typically a factor of five to ten, save significantly on both CPU time and energy consumption and may be a crucial factor for studying slow processes such as crystal nucleation and glassy dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Smallenburg
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France
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4
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Unsupervised topological learning approach of crystal nucleation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3195. [PMID: 35210485 PMCID: PMC8873400 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06963-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleation phenomena commonly observed in our every day life are of fundamental, technological and societal importance in many areas, but some of their most intimate mechanisms remain however to be unravelled. Crystal nucleation, the early stages where the liquid-to-solid transition occurs upon undercooling, initiates at the atomic level on nanometre length and sub-picoseconds time scales and involves complex multidimensional mechanisms with local symmetry breaking that can hardly be observed experimentally in the very details. To reveal their structural features in simulations without a priori, an unsupervised learning approach founded on topological descriptors loaned from persistent homology concepts is proposed. Applied here to monatomic metals, it shows that both translational and orientational ordering always come into play simultaneously as a result of the strong bonding when homogeneous nucleation starts in regions with low five-fold symmetry. It also reveals the specificity of the nucleation pathways depending on the element considered, with features beyond the hypothesis of Classical Nucleation Theory.
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Coli GM, Dijkstra M. An Artificial Neural Network Reveals the Nucleation Mechanism of a Binary Colloidal AB 13 Crystal. ACS NANO 2021; 15:4335-4346. [PMID: 33619953 PMCID: PMC7992132 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal suspensions of two species have the ability to form binary crystals under certain conditions. The hunt for these functional materials and the countless investigations on their formation process are justified by the plethora of synergetic and collective properties these binary superlattices show. Among the many crystal structures observed over the past decades, the highly exotic colloidal icosahedral AB13 crystal was predicted to be stable in binary hard-sphere mixtures nearly 30 years ago, yet the kinetic pathway of how homogeneous nucleation occurs in this system is still unknown. Here we investigate binary nucleation of the AB13 crystal from a binary fluid phase of nearly hard spheres. We calculate the nucleation barrier and nucleation rate as a function of supersaturation and draw a comparison with nucleation of single-component and other binary crystals. To follow the nucleation process, we employ a neural network to identify the AB13 phase from the binary fluid phase and the competing fcc crystal with single-particle resolution and significant accuracy in the case of bulk phases. We show that AB13 crystal nucleation proceeds via a coassembly process where large spheres and icosahedral small-sphere clusters simultaneously attach to the nucleus. Our results lend strong support for a classical pathway that is well-described by classical nucleation theory, even though the binary fluid phase is highly structured and exhibits local regions of high bond orientational order.
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Fiorucci G, Coli GM, Padding JT, Dijkstra M. The effect of hydrodynamics on the crystal nucleation of nearly hard spheres. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:064903. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5137815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Fiorucci
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gabriele M. Coli
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Johan T. Padding
- Process and Energy Department, TU Delft, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Dijkstra
- Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Department of Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 1, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
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7
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Ouyang W, Sun B, Sun Z, Xu S. Entire crystallization process of Lennard-Jones liquids: A large-scale molecular dynamics study. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:054903. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5139574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wenze Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Bin Sun
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007, China
| | - Zhiwei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Shenghua Xu
- Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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8
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Zubieta I, Vázquez del Saz M, Llombart P, Vega C, Noya EG. Nucleation of pseudo hard-spheres and dumbbells at moderate metastability: appearance of A15 Frank–Kasper phase at intermediate elongations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:1656-1670. [PMID: 30383878 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp04964e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Crystal nucleation of repulsive hard-dumbbells from the sphere to the two tangent spheres limit is investigated at moderately high metastability by brute-force molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itziar Zubieta
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
- CSIC
- 28006 Madrid
- Spain
| | - Miguel Vázquez del Saz
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
- CSIC
- 28006 Madrid
- Spain
| | - Pablo Llombart
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
- CSIC
- 28006 Madrid
- Spain
| | - Carlos Vega
- Departamento de Química Física (Unidad Asociada de I+D+i al CSIC)
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid
- 28040 Madrid
- Spain
| | - Eva G. Noya
- Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
- CSIC
- 28006 Madrid
- Spain
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9
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Koß P, Statt A, Virnau P, Binder K. Free-energy barriers for crystal nucleation from fluid phases. Phys Rev E 2017; 96:042609. [PMID: 29347490 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.96.042609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Monte Carlo simulations of crystal nuclei coexisting with the fluid phase in thermal equilibrium in finite volumes are presented and analyzed, for fluid densities from dense melts to the vapor. Generalizing the lever rule for two-phase coexistence in the canonical ensemble to finite volume, "measurements" of the nucleus volume together with the pressure and chemical potential of the surrounding fluid allows us to extract the surface free energy of the nucleus. Neither the knowledge of the (in general nonspherical) nucleus shape nor of the angle-dependent interface tension is required for this task. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated for a variant of the Asakura-Oosawa model for colloid-polymer mixtures, which form face-centered cubic colloidal crystals. For a polymer to colloid size ratio of 0.15, the colloid packing fraction in the fluid phase can be varied from melt values to zero by the variation of an effective attractive potential between the colloids. It is found that the approximation of spherical crystal nuclei often underestimates actual nucleation barriers significantly. Nucleation barriers are found to scale as ΔF^{*}=(4π/3)^{1/3}γ[over ¯](V^{*})^{2/3}+const with the nucleus volume V^{*}, and the effective surface tension γ[over ¯] that accounts implicitly for the nonspherical shape can be precisely estimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Koß
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
- Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
| | - Antonia Statt
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
- Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Peter Virnau
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
- Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
| | - Kurt Binder
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, D-55128 Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, Germany
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Desgranges C, Delhommelle J. Free energy calculations along entropic pathways. II. Droplet nucleation in binary mixtures. J Chem Phys 2016; 145:234505. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4972011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Desgranges
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, USA
| | - Jerome Delhommelle
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, USA
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11
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Russo J, Tanaka H. Crystal nucleation as the ordering of multiple order parameters. J Chem Phys 2016; 145:211801. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4962166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John Russo
- Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
- School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TW, United Kingdom
| | - Hajime Tanaka
- Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
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12
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Desgranges C, Delhommelle J. Free energy calculations along entropic pathways. I. Homogeneous vapor-liquid nucleation for atomic and molecular systems. J Chem Phys 2016; 145:204112. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4968231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Desgranges
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, USA
| | - Jerome Delhommelle
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, USA
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