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Stricker L, Derlet PM, Demirörs AF, Vutukuri HR, Vermant J. Unifying Atoms and Colloids near the Glass Transition through Bond-Order Topology. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024; 132:218202. [PMID: 38856243 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.218202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
In this combined experimental and simulation study, we utilize bond-order topology to quantitatively match particle volume fraction in mechanically uniformly compressed colloidal suspensions with temperature in atomistic simulations. The obtained mapping temperature is above the dynamical glass transition temperature, indicating that the colloidal systems examined are structurally most like simulated undercooled liquids. Furthermore, the structural mapping procedure offers a unifying framework for quantifying relaxation in arrested colloidal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Stricker
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peter M Derlet
- Laboratory for Theoretical and Computational Physics, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | | | - Hanumantha Rao Vutukuri
- Active Soft Matter and Bio-inspired Materials Lab, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, MESA+ Institute, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Vermant
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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Thijssen K, Liverpool TB, Royall CP, Jack RL. Necking and failure of a particulate gel strand: signatures of yielding on different length scales. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:7412-7428. [PMID: 37743690 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00681f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
"Sticky" spheres with a short-ranged attraction are a basic model of a wide range of materials from the atomic to the granular length scale. Among the complex phenomena exhibited by sticky spheres is the formation of far-from-equilibrium dynamically arrested networks which comprise "strands" of densely packed particles. The aging and failure of such gels under load is a remarkably challenging problem, given the simplicity of the model, as it involves multiple length- and time-scales, making a single approach ineffective. Here we tackle this challenge by addressing the failure of a single strand with a combination of methods. We study the mechanical response of a single strand of a model gel-former to deformation, both numerically and analytically. Under elongation, the strand breaks by a necking instability. We analyse this behaviour at three different length scales: a rheological continuum model of the whole strand; a microscopic analysis of the particle structure and dynamics; and the local stress tensor. Combining these different approaches gives a coherent picture of the necking and failure. The strand has an amorphous local structure and has large residual stresses from its initialisation. We find that neck formation is associated with increased plastic flow, a reduction in the stability of the local structure, and a reduction in the residual stresses; this indicates that the system loses its solid character and starts to behave more like a viscous fluid. These results will inform the development of more detailed models that incorporate the heterogeneous network structure of particulate gels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristian Thijssen
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | | | - C Patrick Royall
- H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL, UK
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
- Gulliver UMR CNRS 7083, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Robert L Jack
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
- DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK.
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3
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Autonomously revealing hidden local structures in supercooled liquids. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5479. [PMID: 33127927 PMCID: PMC7603397 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19286-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Few questions in condensed matter science have proven as difficult to unravel as the interplay between structure and dynamics in supercooled liquids. To explore this link, much research has been devoted to pinpointing local structures and order parameters that correlate strongly with dynamics. Here we use an unsupervised machine learning algorithm to identify structural heterogeneities in three archetypical glass formers—without using any dynamical information. In each system, the unsupervised machine learning approach autonomously designs a purely structural order parameter within a single snapshot. Comparing the structural order parameter with the dynamics, we find strong correlations with the dynamical heterogeneities. Moreover, the structural characteristics linked to slow particles disappear further away from the glass transition. Our results demonstrate the power of machine learning techniques to detect structural patterns even in disordered systems, and provide a new way forward for unraveling the structural origins of the slow dynamics of glassy materials. The origin of dynamical slowdown in disordered materials remains elusive, especially in the absence of obvious structural changes. Boattini et al. use unsupervised machine learning to reveal correlations between structural and dynamical heterogeneity in supercooled liquids.
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Royall CP, Turci F, Speck T. Dynamical phase transitions and their relation to structural and thermodynamic aspects of glass physics. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:090901. [PMID: 32891096 DOI: 10.1063/5.0006998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We review recent developments in structural-dynamical phase transitions in trajectory space based on dynamic facilitation theory. An open question is how the dynamic facilitation perspective on the glass transition may be reconciled with thermodynamic theories that posit collective reorganization accompanied by a growing static length scale and, eventually, a vanishing configurational entropy. In contrast, dynamic facilitation theory invokes a dynamical phase transition between an active phase (close to the normal liquid) and an inactive phase, which is glassy and whose order parameter is either a time-averaged dynamic or structural quantity. In particular, the dynamical phase transition in systems with non-trivial thermodynamics manifests signatures of a lower critical point that lies between the mode-coupling crossover and the putative Kauzmann temperature, at which a thermodynamic phase transition to an ideal glass state would occur. We review these findings and discuss such criticality in the context of the low-temperature decrease in configurational entropy predicted by thermodynamic theories of the glass transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Patrick Royall
- HH Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Turci
- HH Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Speck
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7-9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Napolitano S. Topical Issue on Dielectric Spectroscopy Applied to Soft Matter. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2020; 43:4. [PMID: 31974681 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2020-11929-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Napolitano
- Laboratory of Polymer and Soft Matter Dynamics, Experimental Soft Matter and Thermal Physics, Faculté des Sciences, Université libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, 1050, Bruxelles, Belgium
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Campo M, Speck T. Dynamical coexistence in moderately polydisperse hard-sphere glasses. J Chem Phys 2020; 152:014501. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5134842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Campo
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7-9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7-9, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Pedersen UR. Statistics of small length scale density fluctuations in supercooled viscous liquids. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:094505. [PMID: 30849876 DOI: 10.1063/1.5080277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many successful theories of liquids near the melting temperature assume that small length scale density fluctuations follow Gaussian statistics. This paper presents a numerical investigation of density fluctuations in the supercooled viscous regime using an enhanced sampling method. Five model systems are investigated: the single component Lennard-Jones liquid, the Kob-Andersen binary mixture, the Wahnström binary mixture, the Lewis-Wahnström model of ortho-terphenyl, and the TIP4P/Ice model of water. The results show that the Gaussian approximation persists to a good degree into the supercooled viscous regime; however, it is less accurate at low temperatures. The analysis suggests that non-Gaussian fluctuations are related to crystalline configurations. Implications for theories of the glass transition are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf R Pedersen
- Glass and Time, IMFUFA, Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, P.O. Box 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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Chen Z, Qi W, Bowles RK. Glass forming phase diagram and local structure of Kob-Andersen binary Lennard-Jones nanoparticles. J Chem Phys 2018; 149:094502. [PMID: 30195318 DOI: 10.1063/1.5047465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulation is used to study glass formation in Kob-Andersen binary Lennard-Jones nanoparticles and determine the glass forming phase diagram for the system as a function of composition. The radial distribution function, a Steinhardt bond-orientational order parameter, and favored local structure analysis are used to distinguish between glassy and ordered systems. We find that surface enrichment of the large atoms alters the nanoparticle core composition, leading to an overall shift of the glass forming region to lower small atom mole fractions, relative to the bulk system. At small atom mole fraction, xB = 0.1, the nanoparticles form a solid with an amorphous core, enriched with the small atoms, surrounded by a partially ordered surface region, enriched with the large atom component. The most disordered glass nanoparticles occur at xB ≈ 0.3, but the surface-core enrichment leads to the crystallization of the nanoparticle to the CsCl crystal above xB ≈ 0.35, which is lower than observed in the bulk. The glass transition temperatures of the nanoparticles are also significantly reduced. This allows the liquid to remain dynamic to low temperatures and sample the low energy inherent structure minima on the potential energy surface containing a high abundance of favoured local structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongquan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Weikai Qi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Richard K Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9, Canada
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Rovigatti L, Romano F, Russo J. Topical Issue on Advances in Computational Methods for Soft Matter Systems. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2018; 41:98. [PMID: 30143882 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2018-11695-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Rovigatti
- CNR-ISC, Uos Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Flavio Romano
- Dipartimento di Scienze Molecolari e Nanosistemi, Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia Mestre, Italy
| | - John Russo
- School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, BS8 1TW, Bristol, UK
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