arXiv subjects

Thomas M. Truskett

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas M. Truskett.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Fluids with competing interactions: II. Validating a free energy model for equilibrium cluster size

Using computer simulations, we validate a simple free energy model that can be analytically solved to predict the equilibrium size of self-limiting clusters of particles in the fluid state governed by a combination of short-range attractive and long-range repulsive pair potentials. The model is a semi-empirical adaptation and extension of the canonical free energy-based result due to Groenewold and Kegel [J. Phys. Chem. B, 105 (2001)], where we use new computer simulation data to systematically improve the cluster-size scalings with respect to the strengths of the competing interactions driving aggregation. We find that one can adapt a classical nucleation like theory for small energetically-frustrated aggregates provided one appropriately accounts for a size-dependent, microscopic energy penalty of interface formation, which requires new scaling arguments. This framework is verified in part by considering the extensive scaling of intracluster bonding, where we uncover a superlinear scaling regime distinct from (and located between) the known regimes for small and large aggregates. We validate our model based on comparisons against approximately 100 different simulated systems comprising compact spherical aggregates with characteristic (terminal) sizes between six and sixty monomers, which correspond to wide ranges in experimentally-controllable parameters.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Consequences of minimizing pair correlations in fluids for dynamics, thermodynamics, and structure

Liquid-state theory, computer simulation, and numerical optimization are used to investigate the extent to which positional correlations of a hard-sphere fluid--as characterized by the radial distribution function and the two-particle excess entropy--can be suppressed via the introduction of auxiliary pair interactions. The corresponding effects of such interactions on total excess entropy, density fluctuations, and single-particle dynamics are explored. Iso-g processes, whereby hard-sphere-fluid pair structure at a given density is preserved at higher densities via the introduction of a density-dependent, soft repulsive contribution to the pair potential, are considered. Such processes eventually terminate at a singular density, resulting in a state that--while incompressible and hyperuniform--remains unjammed and exhibits fluid-like dynamic properties. The extent to which static pair correlations can be suppressed to maximize pair disorder in a fluid with hard cores, determined via direct functional maximization of two-body excess entropy, is also considered. Systems approaching a state of maximized two-body entropy display a progressively growing bandwidth of suppressed density fluctuations, pointing to a relation between "stealthiness" and maximal pair disorder in materials.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Breadth versus depth: Interactions that stabilize particle assemblies to changes in density or temperature

We use inverse methods of statistical mechanics to explore trade-offs associated with designing interactions to stabilize self-assembled structures against changes in density or temperature. Specifically, we find isotropic,convex-repulsive pair potentials that maximize the density range for which a two-dimensional square lattice is the stable ground state subject to a constraint on the chemical potential advantage it exhibits over competing structures (i.e., 'depth' of the associated minimum on the chemical potential hypersurface). We formulate the design problem as a non-linear program, which we solve numerically. This allows us to efficiently find optimized interactions for a wide range of possible chemical potential constraints. We find that assemblies designed to exhibit a large chemical potential advantage at a specified density have a smaller overall range of densities for which they are stable. This trend can be understood by considering the separation-dependent features of the pair potential and its gradient required to enhance the stability of the target structure relative to competitors. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we further show that potentials designed with larger chemical potential advantages exhibit higher melting temperatures.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Graphoepitaxy for translational and orientational ordering of monolayers of rectangular nanoparticles

The combinations of particle aspect ratio and enthalpic-barrier templates that lead to translational and orientational ordering of monolayers of rectangular particles are determined using Monte Carlo simulations and density functional theory. For sufficiently high enthalpic barriers, we find that only specific combinations of particle sizes and template spacings lead to ordered arrays. The pattern multiplication factor provided by the template extends to approximately ten times the smallest dimension of the particle.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Assembly of nothing: Equilibrium fluids with designed structured porosity

Controlled micro- to meso-scale porosity is a common materials design goal with possible applications ranging from molecular gas adsorption to particle size selective permeability or solubility. Here, we use inverse methods of statistical mechanics to design an isotropic pair interaction that, in the absence of an external field, assembles particles into an inhomogeneous {\em fluid} matrix surrounding pores of prescribed size ordered in a lattice morphology. The pore size can be tuned via modification of temperature or particle concentration. Moreover, modulating density reveals a rich series of microphase-separated morphologies including pore- or particle-based lattices, pore- or particle-based columns, and bicontinuous or lamellar structures. Sensitivity of pore assembly to the form of the designed interaction potential is explored.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Equilibrium cluster fluids: Pair interactions via inverse design

Inverse methods of statistical mechanics are becoming productive tools in the design of materials with specific microstructures or properties. While initial studies have focused on solid-state design targets (e.g, assembly of colloidal superlattices), one can alternatively design fluid states with desired morphologies. This work addresses the latter and demonstrates how a simple iterative Boltzmann inversion strategy can be used to determine the isotropic pair potential that reproduces the radial distribution function of a fluid of amorphous clusters with prescribed size. The inverse designed pair potential of this "ideal" cluster fluid, with its broad attractive well and narrow repulsive barrier at larger separations, is qualitatively different from the so-called SALR form most commonly associated with equilibrium cluster formation in colloids, which features short-range attractive (SA) and long-range repulsive (LR) contributions. These differences reflect alternative mechanisms for promoting cluster formation with an isotropic pair potential, and they in turn produce structured fluids with qualitatively different static and dynamic properties. Specifically, equilibrium simulations show that the amorphous clusters resulting from the inverse designed potentials display more uniformity in size and shape, and they also show greater spatial and temporal resolution than those resulting from SALR interactions.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Origin and Detection of Microstructural Clustering in Fluids with Spatial-Range Competitive Interactions

Fluids with competing short-range attractions and long-range repulsions mimic dispersions of charge-stabilized colloids that can display equilibrium structures with intermediate range order (IRO), including particle clusters. Using simulations and analytical theory, we demonstrate how to detect cluster formation in such systems from the static structure factor and elucidate links to macrophase separation in purely attractive reference fluids. We find that clusters emerge when the thermal correlation length encoded in the IRO peak of the structure factor exceeds the characteristic lengthscale of interparticle repulsions. We also identify qualitative differences between the dynamics of systems that form amorphous versus micro-crystalline clusters.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Local structure-mobility relationships of confined fluids reverse upon supercooling

We examine the structural and dynamic properties of confined binary hard-sphere mixtures designed to mimic realizable colloidal thin films. Using computer simulations, governed by either Newtonian or overdamped Langevin dynamics, together with other techniques including a Fokker-Planck equation-based method, we measure the position-dependent and average diffusivities of particles along structurally isotropic and inhomogeneous dimensions of the fluids. At moderate packing fractions, local single-particle diffusivities normal to the direction of confinement are higher in regions of high total packing fraction; however, these trends are reversed as the film is supercooled at denser average packings. Auxiliary short-time measurements of particle displacements mirror data obtained for experimental supercooled colloidal systems. We find that average dynamics can be approximately predicted based on the distribution of available space for particle insertion across orders of magnitude in diffusivity regardless of the governing microscopic dynamics.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Tuning structure and mobility of solvation shells surrounding tracer additives

Molecular dynamics simulations and a stochastic Fokker-Planck equation based approach are used to illuminate how position-dependent solvent mobility near one or more tracer particle(s) is affected when tracer-solvent interactions are rationally modified to affect corresponding solvation structure. For tracers in a dense hard-sphere fluid, we compare two types of tracer-solvent interactions: (1) a hard-sphere-like interaction; and (2) a soft repulsion extending beyond the hard core designed via statistical mechanical theory to enhance tracer mobility at infinite dilution by suppressing coordination-shell structure (Carmer et al., Soft Matter 8 (2011)). For the latter case, we show that the mobility of surrounding solvent particles is also increased by addition of the soft repulsive interaction, which helps to rationalize the mechanism underlying the tracer's enhanced diffusivity. However, if multiple tracer surfaces are in closer proximity (as at higher tracer concentrations), similar interactions that disrupt local solvation structure instead suppress the position-dependent solvent dynamics.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2014

Graphoepitaxy for Pattern Multiplication of Nanoparticle Monolayers

We compute the free energy minimizing structures of particle monolayers in the presence of enthalpic barriers of a finite height \b{eta}Vext using classical density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulations. We show that a periodic square template with dimensions up to at least ten times the particle diameter disrupts the formation of the entropically favored hexagonally close-packed 2D lattice in favor of a square lattice. The results illustrate how graphoepitaxy can successfully order nanoparticulate films into desired patterns many times smaller than those of the prepatterned template.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Dimensionality and design of isotropic interactions that stabilize honeycomb, square, simple cubic, and diamond lattices

We use inverse methods of statistical mechanics and computer simulations to investigate whether an isotropic interaction designed to stabilize a given two-dimensional (2D) lattice will also favor an analogous three-dimensional (3D) structure, and vice versa. Specifically, we determine the 3D ordered lattices favored by isotropic potentials optimized to exhibit stable 2D honeycomb (or square) periodic structures, as well as the 2D ordered structures favored by isotropic interactions designed to stabilize 3D diamond (or simple cubic) lattices. We find a remarkable `transferability' of isotropic potentials designed to stabilize analogous morphologies in 2D and 3D, irrespective of the exact interaction form, and we discuss the basis of this cross-dimensional behavior. Our results suggest that the discovery of interactions that drive assembly into certain 3D periodic structures of interest can be assisted by less computationally intensive optimizations targeting the analogous 2D lattices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Predicting the structure of fluids with piecewise constant interactions: Comparing the accuracy of five efficient integral equation theories

We use molecular dynamics simulations to test integral equation theory predictions for the structure of fluids of spherical particles with eight different piecewise-constant pair interaction forms comprising a hard core and a combination of two shoulders and/or wells. Since model pair potentials like these are of interest for discretized or coarse-grained representations of effective interactions in complex fluids (e.g., for computationally intensive inverse optimization problems), we focus here on assessing how accurately their properties can be predicted by analytical or simple numerical closures including Percus-Yevick, hypernetted chain, reference hypernetted chain, first-order mean spherical approximation, and a modified first-order mean spherical approximation. To make quantitative comparisons between the predicted and simulated radial distribution functions, we introduce a cumulative structural error metric. For equilibrium fluid state points of these models, we find that the reference hypernetted chain closure is the most accurate of the tested approximations as characterized by this metric or related thermodynamic quantities.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Position-dependent and pair diffusivity profiles from steady-state solutions of color reaction-counterdiffusion problems

We show how the steady-state solution of the Smoluchowski (Fokker-Planck) equation for a color reaction-counterdiffusion problem, together with equilibrium trajectory information (e.g., from molecular simulations or confocal microscopy experiments), can be used to determine position-dependent or pair diffusivity profiles for condensed phases directly without the need for Bayesian inference, likelihood maximization, or the analysis of time-dependent data.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2014

User-friendly, theory-based web applet for rapidly predicting structure and thermodynamics of complex fluids

Based on a recently introduced analytical strategy [Hollingshead et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 161102 (2013)], we present a web applet that can quickly and semi-quantitatively estimate the equilibrium radial distribution function and related thermodynamic properties of a fluid from knowledge of its pair interaction. We present a detailed description of the applet's features and intended workflow, followed by a description of how the applet can be used to illustrate two (of many possible) concepts of interest for introductory statistical mechanics courses: the transition from ideal gas-like behavior to correlated-liquid behavior with increasing density and the tradeoff between dominant length scales with changing temperature in a system with ramp-shaped repulsions. The latter type of interaction qualitatively captures distinctive thermodynamic properties of liquid water because its energetic bias toward locally open structures mimics that of water's hydrogen-bond network.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2014

Perspective: Inverse methods for material design

In this Perspective, we highlight several recent studies that illustrate how inverse strategies using appropriate physical models and computational methods can address complex materials design questions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Predicting how nanoconfinement changes the relaxation time of a supercooled liquid

The properties of nanoconfined fluids can be strikingly different from those of bulk liquids. A basic unanswered question is whether the equilibrium and dynamic consequences of confinement are related to each other in a simple way. We study this question by simulation of a liquid comprising asymmetric dumbbell-shaped molecules, which can be deeply supercooled without crystallizing. We find that the dimensionless structural relaxation times - spanning six decades as a function of temperature, density, and degree of confinement - collapse when plotted versus excess entropy. The data also collapse when plotted versus excess isochoric heat capacity, a behaviour that follows from the existence of isomorphs in the bulk and confined states.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2013

Fine discretization of pair interactions and an approximate analytical strategy for predicting equilibrium behavior of complex fluids

We study whether fine discretization (i.e., terracing) of continuous pair interactions, when used in combination with first-order mean-spherical approximation theory, can lead to a simple and general analytical strategy for predicting the equilibrium structure and thermodynamics of complex fluids. Specifically, we implement a version of this approach to predict how screened electrostatic repulsions, solute-mediated depletion attractions, or ramp-shaped repulsions modify the radial distribution function and the potential energy of reference hard-sphere fluids, and we compare the predictions to exact results from molecular simulations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2013

Phase Behavior of Materials with Isotropic Interactions Designed by Inverse Strategies to Favor Diamond and Simple Cubic Lattice Ground States

We use molecular simulation to construct equilibrium phase diagrams for two recently introduced model materials with isotropic, soft-repulsive pair interactions designed to favor diamond and simple cubic lattice ground states, respectively, over a wide range of densities [Jain et al., Soft Matter 9 14 (2013)]. We employ free energy based Monte Carlo simulation techniques to precisely trace the inter-crystal and fluid-crystal coexistence curves. We find that both model materials display rich polymorphic phase behavior featuring stable crystals corresponding to the target ground-state structures, as well as a variety of other crystalline (e.g., hexagonal and body-centered cubic) phases and multiple reentrant melting transitions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗