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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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Zhang Q, Li J, Wang Z, Wang J. Controlling polymorph selection during nucleation by tuning the structure of metallic melts. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:25480-25491. [PMID: 37712292 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02837b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Controlling the polymorphism of crystals is crucial to the design of novel metallic materials with specific properties; however, the atomistic mechanism underlying polymorph selection during crystallization remains unclear. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations combined with well-tempered metadynamics simulations are employed to explore the atomic mechanisms of polymorph selection during the nucleation process of FCC aluminum and copper. Simulation results suggest that the distinct nucleation pathways of both FCC metals originate from different free-energy surfaces of nucleation processes and diverse symmetries of nucleation precursors. The initially forming phase from undercooled melts is most likely to be the one that has the symmetry closest to the precursors. Besides, tiny seeds with diverse crystal symmetries could induce the formation of preordered precursors for nucleation around the seed, leading to the reduction of free-energy barrier and thus the promotion of nucleation. Controlling polymorph selection with tiny seeds is realized by tuning the symmetry of precursors. Our findings not only shed significant light on understanding polymorph selection, but also provide theoretical guidance for better controlling the nucleation pathway in practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China.
| | - Junjie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China.
| | - Zhijun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China.
| | - Jincheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China.
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Ouyang W, Zou S, Zhong J, Xu S. Template-induced crystallization of charged colloids: a molecular dynamics study. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:6329-6340. [PMID: 37564036 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00872j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
By using a large enough number of particles and implementing a parallel algorithm on the CUDA platform, we have performed brute-force molecular dynamics simulations to study the template-induced heterogeneous crystallization in charged colloids. Six kinds of templates, whose patterns include the planes of fcc(100), fcc(110), fcc(111), bcc(100), bcc(110) and bcc(111), have been implanted into the middle of the simulation box. Except the fcc(111) template, whose structure benefits not only fcc but also hcp crystals resulting in a similar behavior to homogeneous crystallization, bcc-type templates favor the formation of bcc crystals and bcc-like precursors while fcc-type templates favor the formation of fcc crystals and fcc-like precursors. Therefore, for fcc(100) and fcc(110) templates, heterogeneous crystallization will definitely result in a fcc crystallite. However, the results of heterogeneous crystallization that are induced by bcc-type templates are subtly different at different state points. At the state points where the interaction strength of charged colloids is weak and the fcc phase is thermodynamically stable, the bcc crystals formed with the promotion of bcc-type templates are not stable so as to tend to transform into fcc or hcp crystals. When the interaction strength of charged colloids is high, the predominant bcc crystals formed with the promotion of bcc-type templates can always persist within the time scale of simulation although not bcc but fcc crystals are thermodynamically stable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenze Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Microgravity, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Shuangyang Zou
- Key Laboratory of Microgravity, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Jun Zhong
- College of Materials Engineering, North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering, Langfang 065000, China
| | - Shenghua Xu
- Key Laboratory of Microgravity, 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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Zhan M, Chen Y, Jiang Z, Xu N, Tan P. Multiple Scenarios of Low-Temperature Nucleation in Simple Liquids. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 130:178201. [PMID: 37172229 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.178201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Usually, sufficient supercooling of a liquid is employed to bypass the free energy barrier and speed up crystallization. However, lowering the temperature T induces new issues competing with the crystallization, e.g., slow particle motion, geometric frustration, and the glass formation, which complicates our understanding of crystal growth. Here we systematically study the low-temperature nucleation kinetics discriminated by the maximum nucleation rate temperature T_{d} and the glass transition temperature T_{g}. At T_{d}, the ratio of the precursor and geometrically frustrated particles reaches the maximum. When T_{g}<T<T_{d}, nucleation kinetics is characterized by the subdiffusive slow particle motion, the high degrees of geometric frustration, and the saturation of precursors. In this regime, nucleation can proceed through the diffusionless-like ordering of precursors. Near T_{g}, there is a crossover regime, where geometrically frustrated particles percolate and the glass formation strongly slows down the nucleation. When T<T_{g}, diffusionless nucleation is obstructed due to the weak vibrational motion and the mechanical stability of the glassy state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Zhan
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanshuang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhehua Jiang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Xu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
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Ren B, Li Z, Zhang Y, Feng S, Wang L. New Interpretation of Glass Formation in Isomeric Substances: Shifting from Melting-Point to Melting-Entropy. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2206389. [PMID: 36792966 PMCID: PMC10104644 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202206389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Revealing the critical thermodynamic parameters determining the glass formation of substances is of great significance for understanding the glass transition and guiding the composition design of glass-forming materials. Nevertheless, the direct access to glass-forming ability (GFA) by thermodynamics for various substances remains to be substantiated. The strategy to seek the fundamental properties of glass formation is explored several decades ago, as pioneered by Angell, arguing that the GFA in isomeric xylenes depends on the low lattice energy manifested by the low melting point. Here, an in-depth study is advanced using two more isomeric systems. Surprisingly, the results do not constantly support the reported relationship between the melting point and glass formation among isomeric molecules. Instead, molecules with enhanced glass formability are featured by the properties of low melting entropy without exception. Comprehensive studies of isomeric molecules find that the low melting entropy is roughly accompanied by the low melting point, explaining the apparent link between melting point and glass formation. Progressively, the viscosity measurements of the isomers uncover a strong dependence of the melting viscosity on melting entropy. These results emphasize the significance of the melting entropy in governing the glass formability of substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baokang Ren
- State Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science and TechnologySchool of Materials Science and EngineeringYanshan UniversityQinhuangdaoHebei066004China
| | - Zijing Li
- Key Lab for Microstructural Material Physics of Hebei ProvinceSchool of ScienceYanshan UniversityQinhuangdaoHebei066004China
| | - Yanhui Zhang
- State Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science and TechnologySchool of Materials Science and EngineeringYanshan UniversityQinhuangdaoHebei066004China
| | - Shidong Feng
- State Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science and TechnologySchool of Materials Science and EngineeringYanshan UniversityQinhuangdaoHebei066004China
| | - Li‐Min Wang
- State Key Lab of Metastable Materials Science and TechnologySchool of Materials Science and EngineeringYanshan UniversityQinhuangdaoHebei066004China
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Hu YC, Tanaka H. Revealing the role of liquid preordering in crystallisation of supercooled liquids. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4519. [PMID: 35927419 PMCID: PMC9352720 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32241-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent discovery of non-classical crystal nucleation pathways has revealed the role of fluctuations in the liquid structural order, not considered in classical nucleation theory. On the other hand, classical crystal growth theory states that crystal growth is independent of interfacial energy, but this is questionable. Here we elucidate the role of liquid structural ordering in crystal nucleation and growth using computer simulations of supercooled liquids. We find that suppressing the crystal-like structural order in the supercooled liquid through a new order-killing strategy can reduce the crystallisation rate by several orders of magnitude. This indicates that crystal-like liquid preordering and the associated interfacial energy reduction play an essential role in nucleation and growth processes, forcing critical modifications of the classical crystal growth theory. Furthermore, we evaluate the importance of this additional factor for different types of liquids. These findings shed new light on the fundamental understanding of crystal growth kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Chao Hu
- Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan
| | - Hajime Tanaka
- Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan. .,Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan.
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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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Li M, Yue Z, Chen Y, Tong H, Tanaka H, Tan P. Revealing thermally-activated nucleation pathways of diffusionless solid-to-solid transition. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4042. [PMID: 34193874 PMCID: PMC8245452 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24256-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Solid-to-solid transitions usually occur via athermal nucleation pathways on pre-existing defects due to immense strain energy. However, the extent to which athermal nucleation persists under low strain energy comparable to the interface energy, and whether thermally-activated nucleation is still possible are mostly unknown. To address these questions, the microscopic observation of the transformation dynamics is a prerequisite. Using a charged colloidal system that allows the triggering of an fcc-to-bcc transition while enabling in-situ single-particle-level observation, we experimentally find both athermal and thermally-activated pathways controlled by the softness of the parent crystal. In particular, we reveal three new transition pathways: ingrain homogeneous nucleation driven by spontaneous dislocation generation, heterogeneous nucleation assisted by premelting grain boundaries, and wall-assisted growth. Our findings reveal the physical principles behind the system-dependent pathway selection and shed light on the control of solid-to-solid transitions through the parent phase's softness and defect landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengyuan Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanshuang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua Tong
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
- Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hajime Tanaka
- Department of Fundamental Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Peng Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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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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Grebe V, Liu M, Weck M. Quantifying patterns in optical micrographs of one- and two-dimensional ellipsoidal particle assemblies. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10900-10909. [PMID: 33118580 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01692f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Current developments in colloidal science include the assembly of anisotropic colloids with broad geometric diversity. As the complexity of particle assemblies increases, the need for ubiquitous algorithms that quantitatively analyze images of the assemblies to deliver key information such as quantification of crystal structures becomes more urgent. This contribution describes algorithms capable of image analysis for classifying colloidal structures based on abstracted interparticle relationship information and quantitatively analyzing the abundance of each structure in mixed pattern assemblies. The algorithm parameters can be adjusted, allowing for the algorithms to be adapted for different image analyses. Three different ellipsoidal particle assembly images are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithms: a one-dimensional (1D) particle chain assembly and two two-dimensional (2D) polymorphic crystals each consisting of assemblies of two distinct plane symmetry groups. Angle relationships between neighbouring particles are calculated and neighbour counts of each particle are determined. Combining these two parameters as rules for classification criteria allows for the labeling and quantification of each particle into a defined symmetry class within an assembly. The algorithms provide a labelled image comprising classification results and particle counts of each defined class. For multiple images or individual frames from a video, the script can be looped to achieve automatic processing. The yielded classification data allow for more in-depth image analysis of mixed pattern particle assemblies. We envision that these algorithms will have utility in quantitative analysis of images comprising ellipsoidal colloidal materials, nanoparticles, or biological matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Grebe
- Molecular Design Institute and Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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