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At least 631 records · Page 35

Tuning martensitic transformations via coherent second phases in nanolaminates using free energy landscape engineering

In this work we explore the possibilities and limitations of using a coherent second phase to engineer the thermo-mechanical properties of a martensitic alloy by modifying the underlying free energy landscape that controls the transformation. We use molecular dynamics simulations of a model atomistic system where the properties of a coherent, nanoscale second phase can be varied systematically. With a base martensitic material that undergoes a temperature-induced transformation from a cubic austenite to a monoclinic martensite, simulations show significant ability to engineer the transformation temperatures, from a ~50% reduction to a ~200% increase, with 50 at.% of the cubic second phase. We establish correlations between the properties of the second phase, the transformation characteristics, and the microstructure via the free energy landscape of the twophase systems. Coherency stresses have a strong influence on the martensitic variants observed and can even cause the non-martensitic second phase to undergo a transformation. Reducing the stiffness of the second phase increases the transformation strain and modifies the martensitic microstructure, increasing the volume fraction of the transformed material. This increase in transformation strain is accompanied by a significant increase in Af and thermal hysteresis, while Ms remains unaltered. Our findings on the tunability of martensitic transformations can be used for informed searches of second phases to achieve desired material properties, such as achieving room temperature, lightweight shape memory alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of Framework Composition and NH 3 on the Diffusion of Cu + in Cu-CHA Catalysts Predicted by Machine-Learning Accelerated Molecular Dynamics

Cu-exchanged zeolites rely on mobile solvated Cu + cations for their catalytic activity, but the role of the framework composition in transport is not fully understood. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations can provide quantitative atomistic insight but are too computationally expensive to explore large length and time scales or diverse compositions. We report a machine-learning interatomic potential that accurately reproduces ab initio results and effectively generalizes to allow multinanosecond simulations of large supercells and diverse chemical compositions. Biased and unbiased simulations of [Cu(NH 3 ) 2 ] + mobility show that aluminum pairing in eight-membered rings accelerates local hopping and demonstrate that increased NH 3 concentration enhances long-range diffusion. The probability of finding two [Cu(NH 3 ) 2 ] + complexes in the same cage, which is key for SCR-NOx reaction, increases with Cu content and Al content but does not correlate with the long-range mobility of Cu + . Supporting experimental evidence was obtained from reactivity tests of Cu-CHA catalysts with a controlled chemical composition.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

In-Situ Ion Irradiation to Add Irradiation Assisted Grain Growth to the Marmot Tool

In the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program, the MARMOT mesoscale fuel performance tool is used to inform the development of mechanistic materials models for the BISON fuel performance tool. The grain size of the fuel has a large impact on its performance, directly impacting heat conduction, fission gas release, creep, and fracture. Thus, atomistic and mesoscale MARMOT simulations have been used to investigate grain boundary migration and grain growth in UO 2 . However, the current grain growth models in MARMOT does not consider the effect of irradiation on causing grain growth. This research project experimentally studied and implemented irradiation effects on grain growth of UO 2 into MARMOT.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Simulation of two nanoparticle melting to understand the conductivity drop of 3D-printed silver nanowires

The future flexible sensor technology will require low-temperature, fast processing 3D printing techniques that will rely heavily on the quality of nanoparticle (NP) Ink. Electrical conductivity has been found to decrease in majority of the 3D printed electronic wires. Herein we report a fundamental understanding in drop of electrical conductivity in processed silver (Ag) line wire, generally found in Ag-nanoparticle Ink, using large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of sintering of five different sizes of Ag NPs. To preserve the high conductivity of pure silver wires, the integrity of the pristine face-centered cubic (FCC) crystalline structure must be retained in the processed line wires. Simulations show that the pristine Ag FCC structures of the nanoparticles are not recovered after melting and resolidification, instead, the resolidified material is paracrystaline. The breakdown of pristine FCC structures might be the cause of the drop in conductivity of processed Ag wires. Simulation results suggest that the intermediate size nanoparticles retain highest percentage of the pristine silver face-centered cubic (FCC) structure after pulse treatments. Our results show that the most promising Ag-Ink should contain smaller to medium size silver NPs that can retain FCC structure after 3D printing of the Ag-Ink.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Deep Learning-Driven Sampling Technique to Explore the Phase Space of an RNA Stem-Loop

The folding and unfolding of RNA stem-loops are critical biological processes; however, their computational studies are often hampered by the ruggedness of their folding landscape, necessitating long simulation times at the atomistic scale. Here, we adapted DeepDriveMD (DDMD), an advanced deep learning-driven sampling technique originally developed for protein folding, to address the challenges of RNA stem-loop folding. Although tempering- and order parameter-based techniques are commonly used for similar rare-event problems, the computational costs or the need for a priori knowledge about the system often present a challenge in their effective use. DDMD overcomes these challenges by adaptively learning from an ensemble of running MD simulations using generic contact maps as the raw input. DeepDriveMD enables on-the-fly learning of a low-dimensional latent representation and guides the simulation toward the undersampled regions while optimizing the resources to explore the relevant parts of the phase space. We showed that DDMD estimates the free energy landscape of the RNA stem-loop reasonably well at room temperature. Our simulation framework runs at a constant temperature without external biasing potential, hence preserving the information on transition rates, with a computational cost much lower than that of the simulations performed with external biasing potentials. Here, we also introduced a reweighting strategy for obtaining unbiased free energy surfaces and presented a qualitative analysis of the latent space. This analysis showed that the latent space captures the relevant slow degrees of freedom for the RNA folding problem of interest. Finally, throughout the manuscript, we outlined how different parameters are selected and optimized to adapt DDMD for this system. We believe this compendium of decision-making processes will help new users adapt this technique for the rare-event sampling problems of their interest.

Gupta, Ayush↗

Lpp positions peptidoglycan at the AcrA-TolC interface in the AcrAB-TolC multidrug efflux pump

The multidrug efflux pumps of Gram-negative bacteria are a class of complexes that span the periplasm, coupling both the inner and outer membranes to expel toxic molecules. The best-characterized example of these tripartite pumps is the AcrAB-TolC complex of Escherichia coli. However, how the complex interacts with the peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall, which is anchored to the outer membrane (OM) by Braun’s lipoprotein (Lpp), is still largely unknown. In this work, we present molecular dynamics simulations of a complete, atomistic model of the AcrAB-TolC complex with the inner membrane, OM, and PG layers all present. We find that the PG localizes to the junction of AcrA and TolC, in agreement with recent cryo-tomography data. Free-energy calculations reveal that the positioning of PG is determined by the length and conformation of multiple Lpp copies anchoring it to the OM. The distance between the PG and OM measured in cryo-electron microscopy images of wild-type E. coli also agrees with the simulation-derived spacing. Finally, sequence analysis of AcrA suggests a conserved role for interactions with PG in the assembly and stabilization of efflux pumps, one that may extend to other trans-envelope complexes as well.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Easy axis anisotropy creating high contrast magnetic zones on magnetic tunnel junctions based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSD)

Abstract Magnetic tunnel junction-based molecular spintronics device (MTJMSD) may enable novel magnetic metamaterials by chemically bonding magnetic molecules and ferromagnets (FM) with a vast range of magnetic anisotropy. MTJMSD have experimentally shown intriguing microscopic phenomenon such as the development of highly contrasting magnetic phases on a ferromagnetic electrode at room temperature. This paper focuses on Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS) on MTJMSD to understand the potential mechanism and explore fundamental knowledge about the impact of magnetic anisotropy. The selection of MCS is based on our prior study showing the potential of MCS in explaining experimental results (Tyagi et al. in Nanotechnology 26:305602, 2015). In this paper, MCS is carried out on the 3D Heisenberg model of cross-junction-shaped MTJMSDs. Our research represents the experimentally studied cross-junction-shaped MTJMSD where paramagnetic molecules are covalently bonded between two FM electrodes along the exposed side edges of the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). We have studied atomistic MTJMSDs properties by simulating a wide range of easy-axis anisotropy for the case of experimentally observed predominant molecule-induced strong antiferromagnetic coupling. Our study focused on understanding the effect of anisotropy of the FM electrodes on the overall MTJMSDs at various temperatures. This study shows that the multiple domains of opposite spins start to appear on an FM electrode as the easy-axis anisotropy increases. Interestingly, MCS results resembled the experimentally observed highly contrasted magnetic zones on the ferromagnetic electrodes of MTJMSD. The magnetic phases with starkly different spins were observed around the molecular junction on the FM electrode with high anisotropy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fluorine-Free Precise Polymer Electrolyte for Efficient Proton Transport: Experiments and Simulations

Designing polymers with controlled nanoscale morphologies and scalable synthesis is of great interest in the development of fluorine-free materials for proton-exchange membranes in fuel cells. This study focuses on a precision polyethylene with phenylsulfonic acid branches at every fifth carbon, p5PhSA, with a high ion-exchange capacity (4.2 mmol/g). The polymers self-assemble into hydrophilic and hydrophobic co-continuous nanoscale domains. In the hydrated state, the hydrophilic domain, composed of polar sulfonic acid moieties and water, serves as a pathway for efficient mesoscopic proton conductivity. The morphology and proton transport of p5PhSA are evaluated under hydrated conditions using in situ X-ray scattering and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Additionally, at 40 °C and 95% relative humidity, the proton conductivity of p5PhSA is 0.28 S/cm, which is four times greater than Nafion 117 under the same conditions. Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are also used to elucidate the interplay between the structure and the water dynamics. The MD simulations show strong nanophase separation between the percolated hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains over a wide range of water contents. The percolated hydrophilic nanoscale domain facilitates the rapid proton transport in p5PhSA and demonstrates the potential of precise hydrocarbon-based polymers as processible and effective proton-exchange membranes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unveiling the Origin of Morphological Instability in Topologically Complex Electrocatalytic Nanostructures

Coarsening and degradation phenomena in metals have largely focused on thermally driven processes, such as bulk and surface diffusion. However, dramatic coarsening has been reported in high-surface-area, nanometer-sized Pt-based catalysts during potential cycling in an electrolyte at room temperature─a temperature too low for the process to be explained purely by surface mobility values measured in both vacuum and electrolytes (∼10 –22 and ∼10 –18 cm 2 /s, respectively). This morphological evolution must be due to a different mechanism for mass transport that is sensitive to electrochemical conditions (e.g., electrolyte composition, potential limits, and scan rate). However, there have been no notable studies of electrochemically induced coarsening in nanometer-sized electrocatalysts. Here, we unveil the origins of coarsening in an electrolyte through coupled in situ experiments and atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations. Our work demonstrates electrochemical coarsening is driven by two concurrent mechanisms that can be explained at the atomistic level: (i) dissolution/redeposition during the reduction of an oxidized species and (ii) rapid surface diffusion of undercoordinated atoms.

gold↗

Toward Addressing the Challenge to Predict the Heat Capacities of RDX and HMX Energetic Materials

Availability of heat capacity as function of pressure and temperature is an essential prerequisite for development of a computational multiscale strategy capable to address the evolution of microstructure and energy release in advanced high energy density materials. In the case of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX) systems as two of the most studied energetic materials, there are substantial gaps in experimental data, with available heat capacities values distributed only in a region close to standard ambient conditions. In this study we demonstrate how these major experimental limitations can be addressed in the case of the RDX and HMX systems based on the combined use of classical and quantum mechanical calculations. We show that by considering ideal gas properties evaluated using quantum mechanical methods, and residual properties obtained from molecular simulations using fully flexible atomistic force field models, excellent agreement can be obtained for the predicted heat capacities to the most recent experimental values. An important advantage of the current computational methodology is that it allows evaluation of both constant-volume and constant-pressure heat capacities for a broad interval of temperatures and pressures, which encompasses solid and liquid phases conditions. In the case of the solid α and γ phases of RDX and the β phase of HMX, the predicted results follow closely both the available experimental data at standard ambient conditions and the results obtained using density functional theory calculations at high pressures, a regime where experimental data are not available. A perspective to expand the current methodology is also discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

ORNL_AISD-Ex: Quantum chemical prediction of UV/Vis absorption spectra for over 10 million organic molecules

We performed calculations of electronic excitation energies and associated oscillator strengths based on the time-dependent density-functional tight-binding (TD-DFTB) method [1]. The SMILES (Simplified molecular-input line-entry system) strings of the molecules from the AISD HOMO-LUMO database [2] were converted to a 3D atomistic structure and stored in a PDB file after preliminary geometry optimization using the Merck Molecular Force Field (MMFF94) in RDKit [3,4]. The primary information stored in the PDB file archive consists of Cartesian coordinates for each atom of the molecule in their 3D location in space, along with summary information about the structure, sequence, and experiment. We then performed molecular geometry optimization using the density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) method [5] in the electronic ground state, followed by single-point excited states calculations, as described below. We note that, since RDKit employs a random choice for the generation of molecular conformers, the molecular geometries obtained in this dataset could be different from the ones that were generated when the AISD HOMO-LUMO dataset was generated. The computed excitation energies and associated oscillator strengths can be converted to predict UV/Vis absorption spectra, where excitation energies correspond to absorption peak positions, and oscillator strengths are a good measure of the probability of absorption of visible or UV light in transitions between electronic ground and excited states. The conversion of SMILES strings to 3D Cartesian coordinates of fully DFTB-optimized molecules was successful for 10,502,904 out of 10,502,917 molecules. For these molecules, both geometry optimizations and excited states calculations were successful. The DFTB calculations did not complete for 13 molecules of the original AISD HOMO-LUMO dataset. We still provide information about the geometry of these molecules. The molecules are diverse for chemical compositions (which span 5 non-hydrogen elements: oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, fluorine, sulfur) and molecular size (the smallest molecule contains 5 non-hydrogen atoms, and the largest molecule contains 71 non-hydrogen atoms). The DFTB method [5] is an approximation to density functional theory (DFT), utilizing a minimal basis set in conjunction with a two-center approximation to the electronic Hamiltonian and overlap matrix elements. The DFTB total energy is the sum of an electronic and a repulsive energy contribution, and their calculation requires optimized electronic parameters and diatomic repulsive potential energy functions. All DFTB calculations were performed using the DFTB+ code [6] (version 21.2) and the wrapper for DFTB+ in the Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE) (version 3.22.1) [7], which performed an internal conversion of Cartesian coordinates from PDB to the .gen file format. For the geometry optimizations on the electronic ground state potential energy surface of the molecules, we have chosen the third-order DFTB (DFTB3) method [5c] and employed the matching 3ob set of electronic parameters and repulsive potentials [8]. The empirical γ-damping for hydrogen bond correction, and Grimme's D3 empirical dispersion correction with Becke-Johnson damping (D3(BJ)) [9] dispersion correction was included to improve the description of non-covalent interactions. For excited states single-point energy calculations, we employed the TD-DFTB method in conjunction with the DFTB2 method [5b] and the matching mio [5b,10] and halorg [11] parameter sets. We opted to request the simultaneous calculation of 50 excited states for singlet transition to investigate sufficient number of excited states, based on linear response theory using the Casida equation [Ref: T. A. Niehaus, S. Suhai, F. Della Sala, P Lugli, M. Elstner, G. Seifert, and Th. Frauenheim. Tight-binding approach to time-dependent density-functional response theory. Phys. Rev. B, 63:085108, 2001] and the ARPACK diagonalizer [R. B. Lehoucq, D. C. Sorensen, and C. Yang. Arpack users guide: Solution of large-scale eigenvalue problems by implicitly restarted arnoldi methods, 1997. 46, 51]. The dataset contains 1001 tar.gz files. Tar files are named as “ornl_aisd_ex_1.tar.gz†through “ornl_aisd_ex_1000.tar.gzâ€. Additionally, the 13 failed molecules are in “ornl_aisd_ex_unprocessed.tar.gzâ€. Except for the tar files listed below, each tar file contains 10,500 molecules. Tar files numbered 34, 121, 128, 352, 360, 429, 495, 509, 518, 627, 676, 668, and 862 contain 10,499 molecules each. The last tar file numbered 1000 contains 13,417 molecules. The total size of the uncompressed dataset is over 283 Gigabytes. The code for calculating the electronic excitation energies and statistical analysis of the dataset is provided at the following GitLab repository: https://github.com/ORNL/Analysis-of-Large-Scale-Molecular-Datasets-with-Python Calculating the UV spectrum of a molecule requires performing 3 main operations: 1. Converting the smiles string representation of a molecule into a geometric structure where each atom is assigned XYZ coordinates. The geometric structure is written to the file smiles.pdb. 2. Using smiles.pdb to compute the relaxed geometry of the molecule, which corresponds with the position of the atoms at the position of equilibrium at the ground state. This generates the files band.out, detailed.out, and geo_end.gen. 3. Using geo_end.gen to calculate the UV spectrum of the molecule which is written into the file EXC.DAT. Every molecule in the dataset has its own directory. The files contained in each molecule directory are as follows: 1. geo_end.gen 2. detailed.out 3. band.out 4. EXC.DAT 5. smiles.pdb REFERENCES [1] Niehaus, T. A.; Suhai, S.; Della Salla, F.; Lugli, P.; Elstner, M.; Seifert, G.; Frauenheim, Th. Tight-binding approach to time-dependent density-functional response theory. Phys. Rev. B, 2001, 63, 085108/1-9. [2] Blanchard, A.; Gounley, J.; Metha, K.; Yoo, P.; Irle, S. AISD HOMO-LUMO. DOI: 10.13139/ORNLNCCS/1869409 [3] RDKit: Cheminformatics and Machine Learning Software. 2013, [http://www.rdkit.org] [4] Tosco, P.; Stiefl, N. and Landrum, G. Bringing the MMFF force field to the RDKit: implementation and validation. J Cheminform. 2014, 6, 1–4. [5] a) Porezag, D.; Frauenheim, T.; Kohler, T.; Seifert, G.; Kaschner, Construction of tight-binding-like potentials on the basis of density-functional theory: Application to carbon, R. Phys. Rev. B 1995, 51, 12947-12957; b) Elstner, M.; Porezag, D.; Jungnickel, G.; Elsner, J.; Haugk, M.; Frauenheim, Th.; Suhai, S.; Seifert, G.; Phys. Rev. B 1998, 58, 7260-7268; c) Gaus, M.; Cui, Q.; Elstner, M. DFTB3: Extension of the Self-Consistent-Charge Density-Functional Tight-Binding Method (SCC-DFTB), J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2011, 7, 931-948; d) Cui, Q.; Elstner, M. Density functional tight binding: values of semi-empirical methods in an ab initio era, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2014, 16, 14368-14377. [6] Hourahine, B. et al. DFTB+, a software package for efficient approximate density functional theory based atomistic simulations, J. Chem. Phys. 2020, 152, 124101/1-19. [7] Larsen, A. H. et al. The atomic simulation environment—a Python library for working with atoms. J. Phys.: Cond. Matter 2017, 29, 273002. [8] Kubillus, M.; Kubar, T.; Gaus, M.; Rezac, J.; Elstner, M. Parameterization of the DFTB3 Method for Br, Ca, Cl, F, I, K, and Na in Organic and Biological Systems, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2015, 11, 332-342. [9] Brandenburg, J. G.; Grimme, S. Accurate Modeling of Organic Molecular Crystals by Dispersion-Corrected Density Functional Tight Binding (DFTB), J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2014, 5, 1785−1789. [10] a) Niehaus, T. A.; Elstner, M.; Frauenheim, Th.; Suhai, S. Application of an approximate density-functional method to sulfur containing compounds. J. Mol. Struct.: THEOCHEM 2001, 541, 185-94; b) Elstner, M.; Hobza, P.; Frauenheim, Th.; Suhai, S.; Kaxiras, E. Hydrogen bonding and stacking interactions of nucleic acid base pairs: A density-functional-theory based treatment. J. Chem. Phys. 2001, 114, 5149-55. [11] Kubar, T.; Bodrog, Z.; Gaus, M.; Köhler, C.; Aradi, B.; Frauenheim, Th.; Elstner, M. Parametrization of the SCC-DFTB Method for Halogens. J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2013, 9, 2939-49.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Atomistic modeling of radiation damage in crystalline materials

This review discusses atomistic modeling techniques used to simulate radiation damage in crystalline materials. Radiation damage due to energetic particles results in the formation of defects. The subsequent evolution of these defects over multiple length and time scales requiring numerous simulations techniques to model the gamut of behaviors. This work focuses attention on current and new methodologies at the atomistic scale regarding the mechanisms of defect formation at the primary damage state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of stoichiometry and hydration level on water domain size and transport in poly(aryl piperidinium) alkaline anion-exchange membranes

Alkaline water electrolysis holds promise in decarbonizing the global economy by enabling renewable hydrogen production with non-precious group metal catalysts. Anion exchange membranes are an important component of alkaline water electrolyzers and would ideally be durable while allowing for high hydroxide conductivity. The poly(aryl piperidinium) (PAP) class of polymers has attracted recent interest due to their good mechanical robustness and high ionic conductivity. Here, in this work, we perform atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of several PAP polymers at experimentally relevant hydration levels and polymer ion exchange capacities (IECs) to gain nanoscale insight into their properties and to help elucidate the trade-offs that result from tuning the IECs through the polymer stoichiometry. Our MD-predicted macroscopic polymer properties were found to be in good agreement with experimentally available polymer swelling ratios, water-occupied volumes, X-ray scattering, and ionic conductivities. The models show that for hydration levels greater than 8H 2 O per cation a single water cluster will form that percolates through the system. The growth in water cluster size results in large polymer swelling, the creation of larger channels with widths of 7 Å or larger, and nanophase separation between the hydrophilic domains and the polymer with characteristic length scales of approximately 20–30 Å. The experimentally observed lack of a strong X-ray scattering peak at low wavevectors can be explained by a cancellation between the polymer-polymer/water-water and polymer-water correlations and not a loss in nanophase separation. The overlap in coordination environments of the hydroxide oxygen and polymer nitrogen atoms implies that vehicular diffusion between cationic groups could play a role in hydroxide transport. The polymers' hydroxide and water diffusion constants increase by approximately an order of magnitude between hydration levels of 8 and 20H 2 O per cation. However, there are diminishing returns in hydroxide diffusion constant once the IEC exceeds 2.4 meq/g.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Collapse of helium-filled voids in extreme deformation: Dislocation mechanisms

The mechanisms responsible for the collapse of helium-filled bubbles during the passage of shock waves in monocrystalline copper are revealed. Both internal pressure (caused by pre-existing helium atoms) and bubble size are varied in molecular dynamics simulations to understand the atomistic scale deformation as they are subjected to shock compression at pressures of 48, 123, and 170 GPa, corresponding to particle velocities of 1.0, 2.0, and 2.5 km/s. Both empty and helium filled bubbles serve as dislocation sources, generating intense, localized plastic regions. There are distinct differences in the collapse of empty voids compared to He-filled bubbles, the former requiring less stress and generating a greater density of dislocations for a given shock strength. Additionally, a generalized model for dislocation emission is proposed, where the inclusion of shear stress generated by the helium bubble increases the critical stress to generate dislocations at the defect surface, demonstrating the change in plastic deformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Squeezing Out Interfacial Solvation: The Role of Hydrogen-Bonding in the Structural and Orientational Freedom of Molecular Self-Assembly

We report bioinspired membrane molecules with improved physical properties and enhanced stability can serve as functional models for conventional lipid or amphiphilic species. Importantly, these molecules can also provide new insights into emergent phenomena that manifest during self-assembly at interfaces. Here, we elucidate the structural response and mechanistic steps underlying the self-assembly of the amphiphilic, charged oligodimethylsiloxane imidazolium cation (ODMS-MIM+) at the air–aqueous interface using Langmuir trough methods with coincident surface-specific vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy. We find evidence for a new compression-induced desolvation step that precedes commonly known disordered-to-ordered phase transitions to form nanoscopic assemblies. The experimental data was supported by atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to provide a detailed mechanistic picture underlying the assembly and the role of water in these phase transitions. The sensitivity of the hydrophobic ODMS tail conformations to compression-owing to distinct water–ODMS interactions and tail–tail solvation properties-offers new strategies for the design of interfaces that can be further used to develop soft-matter electronics and low-dimensional materials using physical and chemical controls.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Evaluating the Structural Response of Amphiphilic Monolayers to Environmental Stimuli

Amphiphilic monolayers composed of end groups with distinct polar and nonpolar functional groups offer rapid and reversible interfacial adaptation in response to environmental stimuli such as a change in interfacial medium polarity. We have synthesized and characterized a suite of monolayers with functional groups of competing polarity designed to reconfigure their interfacial chemical composition in response to solvent polarity. In these films, the end group is designed to be able to reorient and expose the functional groups that minimize the interfacial free energy between the film and the environment. Using a combination of spectroscopic, computational, and wettability studies, we have investigated the responsive interfacial behavior of different end groups upon exposure to environments with varying polarities. Contact angle measurements across a series of polar and dispersive probe liquids reveal trends that reflect the underlying molecular flexibility and composition. Vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm solvent-driven reorientation of the end groups, with restructuring observed at the interface. To quantify these effects, we have developed a surface energy calculation model that incorporates solvent-induced surface rearrangements into the estimations. Our findings reveal a strong dependence of surface energy and switching behavior on the length and flexibility of the functionalities in the end group, which affects the exposure of certain interfacial compositions under different solvents. These results offer new insights into the design of adaptive monolayers and provide a framework for evaluating solvent-responsive surfaces.

functional groups↗

Percolated Ionic Aggregate Morphologies and Decoupled Ion Transport in Precise Sulfonated Polymers Synthesized by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization

Here, we describe a set of precise single-ion conducting polymers that form self-assembled percolated ionic aggregates in glassy polymer matrices and have decoupled transport of metal cations. These precise single-ion conductors (SICs), synthesized by a scalable ring-opening metathesis polymerization, consist of a polyethylene backbone with a sulfonated phenyl group pendant on every fifth carbon and are fully neutralized by a counterion X + (Li + , Na + , or Cs + ). Experimental X-ray scattering measurements and fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are in good agreement. The MD simulations show that the ionic groups nanophase separate from the polymer backbone to form percolating ionic aggregates. Using graph theory, we find that within the Li + - and Na + -neutralized polymers the percolated aggregates exhibit planar and ribbon-like configurations at intermediate length scales, while the percolated aggregates within the Cs + -neutralized polymers are more isotropic. Electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements show that the ionic conductivities exhibit Arrhenius behavior, with conductivities of 10 –7 to 10 –6 S/cm at 180 °C. In the MD simulations, the cations move between sulfonate groups in the percolated aggregates, larger ions travel further, and overall cations travel further than the polymer backbones, indicating a decoupled ion-transport mechanism. Thus, the percolated ionic aggregates in these polymers can serve as pathways to facilitate decoupled ion motion through a glassy polymer matrix.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗