arXiv subjects

Toshihiro Kaneko

Publications and source records attributed to Toshihiro Kaneko.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Evaluation of gas permeability in porous separators for polymer electrolyte fuel cells: CFD simulation based on micro X-ray computed tomography images

Pore structures and gas transport properties in porous separators for polymer electrolyte fuel cells are evaluated both experimentally and through simulations. In the experiments, the gas permeabilities of two porous samples, a conventional sample and one with low electrical resistivity, are measured by a capillary flow porometer, and the pore size distributions are evaluated with mercury porosimetry. Local pore structures are directly observed with micro X-ray computed tomography (CT). In the simulations, the effective diffusion coefficients of oxygen and the air permeability in porous samples are calculated using random walk Monte Carlo simulations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, respectively, based on the X-ray CT images. The calculated porosities and air permeabilities of the porous samples are in good agreement with the experimental values. The simulation results also show that the in-plane permeability is twice the through-plane permeability in the conventional sample, whereas it is slightly higher in the low-resistivity sample. The results of this study show that CFD simulation based on micro X-ray CT images makes it possible to evaluate anisotropic gas permeabilities in anisotropic porous media.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Molecular Insights into the Mechanical Properties of Polymer-Fullerene Bulk Heterojunctions for Organic Photovoltaic Applications

We investigate the mechanical properties of $π$-conjugated polymeric materials composed of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and fullerene C$_{60}$ using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Specifically, we perform tensile simulations of P3HT:C$_{60}$ composites with varied degrees of polymerization and C$_{60}$ mass fractions to obtain their stress-strain responses. Decomposition of stress tensor into kinetic energy and virial contributions indicates that the tensile moduli of the pure P3HT samples are greatly dependent on non-bonded interactions and on bonded interactions associated with bond-stretching, while the addition of C$_{60}$ leads to an increase in the tensile modulus originating from enhanced non-bonded interactions associated with C$_{60}$. Additionally, the tensile strength of the P3HT:C$_{60}$ samples correlates well with molecular chain entanglements, which are characterized by the average number of kinks per chain obtained from primitive path analysis. We also find that the upper and lower yield points characterizing strain softening become more pronounced with increasing C$_{60}$ mass fraction. Persistent homology analysis indicates that the emergence of the yield points correlates well with the coalescence of microvoids in the course of tensile deformation, resulting in the generation of larger voids. These results provide a fundamental understanding of the molecular determinants of the mechanical properties of $π$-conjugated polymer-fullerene composites, which can also help to interpret and predict the mechanical properties of other polymer composites containing fullerene.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Homogeneous Connectivity of Potential Energy Network in a Solidlike State of Water Cluster

A novel route to the exponential trapping-time distribution within a solidlike state in water clusters is described. We propose a simple homogeneous network (SHN) model to investigate dynamics on the potential energy networks of water clusters. In this model, it is shown that the trapping-time distribution in a solidlike state follows the exponential distribution, whereas the trapping-time distribution in local potential minima within the solidlike state is not exponential. To confirm the exponential trapping-time distribution in a solidlike state, we investigate water clusters, $($H${}_2$O$)_6$ and $($H${}_2$O$)_{12}$, by molecular dynamics simulations. These clusters change dynamically from solidlike to liquidlike state and vice versa. We find that the probability density functions of trapping times in a solidlike state are described by the exponential distribution whereas those of interevent times of large fluctuations in potential energy within the solidlike state follow the Weibull distributions. The results provide a clear evidence that transition dynamics between solidlike and liquidlike states in water clusters are well described by the SHN model, suggesting that the exponential trapping-time distribution within a solidlike state originates from the homogeneous connectivity in the potential energy network.

physics.chem-ph↗