arXiv subjects

James A. Elliott

Publications and source records attributed to James A. Elliott.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Inverse projection of axisymmetric orientation distributions

We show that the projection of an axisymmetric three-dimensional orientation distribution to two dimensions can be cast into an Abel transform. Based on this correspondence, we derive an exact integral inverse, which allows for the quantification of three-dimensional uniaxial alignment of rodlike units from two-dimensional sliced images, thus providing an alternative to X-ray or tomographic analysis. A matrix representation of the projection and its inverse is derived, providing a direct relationship between two- and three-dimensional order parameters for both polar and non-polar systems.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Definitions of local density in density-dependent potentials for mixtures

Density-dependent potentials are frequently used in materials simulations due to their approximate description of many-body effects at minimal computational cost. However, in order to apply such models to multi-component systems, an appropriate definition of total local particle density is required. Here, we discuss two definitions of local density in the context of many-body dissipative particle dynamics. We show that only a potential which combines local densities from all particle types in its argument gives physically meaningful results for all composition ratios. Drawing on the ideas from metal potentials, we redefine local density such that it can accommodate different inter-type interactions despite the constraint to keep the main interaction parameter constant, known as Warren's no-go theorem, and generalise the many-body potential to heterogeneous systems. We then show via simulation how liquid-liquid and liquid-solid coexistence can arise just by tuning the interaction parameters.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2019

Managing uncertainty in data-derived densities to accelerate density functional theory

Faithful representations of atomic environments and general models for regression can be harnessed to learn electron densities that are close to the ground state. One of the applications of data-derived electron densities is to orbital-free density functional theory. However, extrapolations of densities learned from a training set to dissimilar structures could result in inaccurate results, which would limit the applicability of the method. Here, we show that a non-Bayesian approach can produce estimates of uncertainty which can successfully distinguish accurate from inaccurate predictions of electron density. We apply our approach to density functional theory where we initialise calculations with data-derived densities only when we are confident about their quality. This results in a guaranteed acceleration to self-consistency for configurations that are similar to those seen during training and could be useful for sampling based methods, where previous ground state densities cannot be used to initialise subsequent calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Invariance of experimental observables with respect to coarse-graining in standard and many-body dissipative particle dynamics

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) is a well-established mesoscale simulation method. However, there have been long-standing ambiguities regarding the dependence of its (purely repulsive) force field parameter on temperature as well as the variation of the resulting experimental observables, such as diffusivity or surface tension, with coarse-graining (CG) degree. Here, we revisit the role of the CG degree and rederive the temperature dependence in standard DPD simulations. Consequently, we derive a scaling of the input variables that renders the system properties invariant with respect to CG degree, and illustrate the versatility of the method by computing the surface tensions of binary solvent mixtures. We then extend this procedure to many-body dissipative particle dynamics (MDPD) and, by computing surface tensions of the same mixtures at a range of CG degrees, demonstrate that this newer method, which has not been widely applied so far, is also capable of simulating complex fluids of practical interest.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2019

Liquid phase parametrisation and solidification in many-body dissipative particle dynamics

Many-body dissipative particle dynamics (MDPD) is a mesoscale method capable of reproducing liquid-vapour coexistence in a single simulation. Despite having been introduced more than a decade ago, this method remains broadly unexplored and, as a result, relatively unused for modelling of industrially important soft matter systems. In this work, we systematically investigate the structure and properties of an MDPD fluid. We show that, besides the liquid phase, the MDPD potential can also yield a gas phase and a thermodynamically stable solid phase with a bcc lattice, but lacking a proper stress-strain relation. For the liquid phase, we determine the dependence of density and surface tension on the interaction parameters, and devise a top-down parametrisation protocol for real liquids.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2017

Mesoscale simulations of confined Nafion thin films

The morphology and transport properties of thin films of the ionomer Nafion, with thicknesses on the order of the bulk cluster size, have been investigated as a model system to explain the anomalous behaviour of catalyst/electrode-polymer interfaces in membrane-electrode assemblies. We have employed dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) to investigate the interaction of water and fluorocarbon chains with carbon and quartz as confining materials for a wide range of operational water contents and film thicknesses. We found confinement-induced clustering of water perpendicular to the thin film. Hydrophobic carbon forms a water depletion zone near the film interface, whereas hydrophilic quartz results in a zone with excess water. There are, on average, oscillating water-rich and fluorocarbon-rich regions, in agreement with experimental results from neutron reflectometry. Water diffusivity shows increasing directional anisotropy of up to 30% with decreasing film thickness, depending of the confining material. The percolation analysis revealed significant differences in water clustering and connectivity with the confining material. These findings indicate the fundamentally different nature of ionomer thin films, compared to membranes, and suggest explanations for increased ionic resistances observed in the catalyst layer.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗