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At least 865 records · Page 48

Atomistic Positioning of Defects in Helium Ion Treated Single-Layer MoS 2

Structuring materials with atomic precision is the ultimate goal of nanotechnology and is becoming increasingly relevant as an enabling technology for quantum electronics/spintronics and quantum photonics. Here, we create atomic defects in monolayer MoS 2 by helium ion (He-ion) beam lithography with a spatial fidelity approaching the single-atom limit in all three dimensions. Using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we confirm the formation of individual point defects in MoS 2 upon He-ion bombardment and show that defects are generated within 9 nm of the incident helium ions. Atom-specific sputtering yields are determined by analyzing the type and occurrence of defects observed in high-resolution STM images and compared with Monte Carlo simulations. Both theory and experiment indicate that the He-ion bombardment predominantly generates sulfur vacancies.

Two-dimensional materials↗

Role of solvation site segmental dynamics on ion transport in ethylene-oxide based side-chain polymer electrolytes

Ion conducting capability is often imparted to polymeric materials through short polyether side-chains, and yet the impact of this graft polymer architecture on ion solvation and conduction has not been fully explored. Here, we use a combination of impedance spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy, and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) to compare the conductivity, ionic interactions, and polymer dynamics in a series of graft polyether electrolytes. We find that in poly[(oligo ethylene oxide)methyl ether methacrylate] (POEM), a widely used graft polymer electrolyte, the ionic conductivity drops more than an order of magnitude as the side-chain length is decreased from nine ethylene oxide (EO) units to three. This difference in conductivity is unexplained by differences in the calorimetric glass transition temperature (T g ), which varies only slightly with side-chain length. Furthermore, through vibrational spectroscopy and MD simulations we demonstrate that both linear and graft polyethers solvate Li⁺ ions effectively and dissociate them from large counterions, irrespective of side-chain length. Li⁺ ions do, however, show preferential solvation by EO units far from the methacrylate backbone. Similarly, EO units far from the backbone show enhanced segmental dynamics, while those near the immobile methacrylate group move substantially more slowly, as quantified by bond vector autocorrelation relaxation times. This heterogeneity in both ion solvation and local segmental relaxation explains variation in ion conductivity where material-averaged properties such as T g and number of free ions fail to do so. Importantly, the ionic conductivity is dictated primarily by the segmental mobility of the EO units which form effective solvation sites, rather than system-wide dynamics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Grain growth of nanocrystalline aluminum under tensile deformation: A combined in situ TEM and atomistic study

Nanocrystalline Al thin films have been strained in situ in a transmission electron microscope using two separate nanomechanical techniques involving a push-to-pull device and a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device. Deformation-induced grain growth was observed to occur via stress-assisted grain boundary migration with extensive grain growth occurring in the necked region, indicating that the increase in local stress drives the boundary migration. Under applied tensile stresses close to the ultimate tensile strength of 450 MPa for a nanocrystalline Al specimen, measured boundary migration speeds are 0.2 – 0.7 nm s -1 for grains outside necked region and increases to 2.5 nm s -1 for grains within the necked region where the local estimated tensile stresses are elevated to around 630 MPa. By tracking grain boundary motion over time, molecular dynamics simulations showed qualitative agreement in terms of pronounced grain boundary migration with the experimental observations. The combined in situ observation and molecular dynamics simulation results underscore the important role of stress-driven grain growth in plastically deforming nanocrystalline metals, leading to intergranular fracture through predominant grain boundary sliding in regions with large localized deformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Single-size and cluster dynamics modeling of intra-granular fission gas bubbles in UO 2

For this work, we perform simulations of intra-granular fission gas bubble evolution in UO 2 using both a relatively simple, computationally inexpensive single-size model and a detailed cluster dynamics model. Simulations encompass 36 experimental cases from 4 different databases, covering various temperature and burnup levels. We systematically compare results from the two models to each other and to post-irradiation experimental data of bubble average size and number density. Overall, the model-to-model comparisons reveal an excellent agreement across the set of simulations. This outcome indicates that, in spite of the underlying assumptions, the single-size model provides a good approximation of the complex physical behavior that is more rigorously described by the cluster dynamics model. Qualitatively, both models reproduce the trends of the experimental data with temperature and burnup correctly. Quantitatively, calculated results are either in good agreement with the data or within errors that appear consistent with the inherent uncertainties. Moreover, for the single-size model, we demonstrate and assess a multiscale approach whereby values for the fission gas atom diffusion coefficient from separate atomistic calculations are used. Systematic comparisons to experimental data point out a credible accuracy of the multiscale model.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Theory of Plasmonic Hot-Carrier Generation and Relaxation

Hot-carrier (HC) generation from (localized) surface plasmon decay has recently attracted much attention due to its promising applications in physical, chemical, materials, and energy science. However, the detailed mechanisms of plasmonic HC generation, relaxation, and trapping are less studied. In this work, we developed and applied a quantum-mechanical model and coupled master equation method to study the generation of HCs from plasmon decay and their following relaxation processes with different mechanisms treated on equal footing. First, a quantum-mechanical model for HC generation is developed. Its connection to existing semiclassical models and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is discussed. Second, the relaxation and lifetimes of HCs are investigated in the presence of electron–electron and electron–phonon interactions. A GW-like approximation is introduced to account for the electron–electron scattering. The numerical simulations on the Jellium nanoparticles with a size up to 1.6 nm demonstrate the electron–electron scattering and electron–phonon scattering dominate different time scale in the relaxation dynamics. We also generalize the model to study the extraction of HCs to attached molecules. The quantum yield of extracting HCs for other applications is found to be size-dependent. In general, the smaller size of NP improves the quantum yield, which is in agreement with recent experimental measurements. Even though we demonstrate this newly developed theoretical formalism with Jellium model, the theory applies to any other atomistic models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Experimental observation of localized interfacial phonon modes

Interfaces impede heat flow in micro/nanostructured systems. Conventional theories for interfacial thermal transport were derived based on bulk phonon properties of the materials making up the interface without explicitly considering the atomistic interfacial details, which are found critical to correctly describing thermal boundary conductance. Recent theoretical studies predicted the existence of localized phonon modes at the interface which can play an important role in understanding interfacial thermal transport. However, experimental validation is still lacking. Through a combination of Raman spectroscopy and high-energy-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope, we report the experimental observation of localized interfacial phonon modes at ~12 THz at a high-quality epitaxial Si-Ge interface. These modes are further confirmed using molecular dynamics simulations with a high-fidelity neural network interatomic potential, which also yield thermal boundary conductance agreeing well with that measured in time-domain thermoreflectance experiments. Simulations find that the interfacial phonon modes have an obvious contribution to the total thermal boundary conductance. Our findings significantly contribute to the understanding of interfacial thermal transport physics and have impact on engineering thermal boundary conductance at interfaces in applications such as electronics thermal management and thermoelectric energy conversion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Atomistic insight into the effects of electrostatic fields on hydrocarbon reaction kinetics

Reactive Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) computations are performed to provide insight into the effects of external electrostatic fields on hydrocarbon reaction kinetics. By comparing the results from MD and DFT, the suitability of the MD method in modeling electrodynamics is first assessed. Results show that the electric field-induced polarization predicted by the MD charge equilibration method is in good agreement with various DFT charge partitioning schemes. Then, the effects of oriented external electric fields on the transition pathways of non-redox reactions are investigated. Results on the minimum energy path suggest that electric fields can cause catalysis or inhibition of oxidation reactions, whereas pyrolysis reactions are not affected due to the weaker electronegativity of the hydrogen and carbon atoms. MD simulations of isolated reactions show that the reaction kinetics is also affected by applied external Lorentz forces and interatomic Coulomb forces since they can increase or decrease the energy of collision depending on the molecular conformation. In addition, electric fields can affect the kinetics of polar species and force them to align in the direction of field lines. These effects are attributed to energy transfer via intermolecular collisions and stabilization under the external Lorentz force. The kinetics of apolar species is not significantly affected mainly due to the weak induced dipole moment even under strong electric fields. The dynamics and reaction rates of species are studied by means of large-scale combustion simulations of n-dodecane and oxygen mixtures. Results show that under strong electric fields, the fuel, oxidizer, and most product molecules experience translational and rotational acceleration mainly due to close charge transfer along with a reduction in their vibrational energy due to stabilization. This study will serve as a basis to improve the current methods used in MD and to develop novel methodologies for the modeling of macroscale reacting flows under external electrostatic fields.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Elastic Properties and Deformation Mechanisms in the van der Waals Single-Crystalline Indium Selenide

The bulk van der Waals (vdW) single-crystalline indium selenide (β-InSe) displays exceptional plasticity in a layered crystalline form at both micro- and macroscale. However, the nanoscale origin of plasticity remains unclear. Herein, an atomic-level study on the deformation mechanisms of InSe by using first-principles calculations is reported. Remarkable anisotropic elasticity is observed in the vdW InSe layered crystal, and the stiffness is dramatically softened because of the vdW gap in the layered structure. The simulations capture the distinct fracture modes in the uniaxial tensile deformation, depending on the loading directions—brittle fracture in the [100] and [110] directions while ductile failure in the [001] direction. The InSe layered crystal structure exhibits superplastic deformability under uniaxial compression. Different transition pathways, including interlayer tangling, amorphization, and cross-linking, are tracked along respective deformation directions. The unprecedented plasticity of InSe layered crystals can be attributed to the phase transition coupled with interlayer gliding and cross-layer dislocation slipping. Here, this study deepens our understanding of the deformation mechanisms of layered materials at the atomistic level and provides insights into tailoring material properties for low-dimensional material design based on its deformation mechanisms.

2D materials↗

Facet-dependent structure and dissociation of water at pristine IrO 2 /water interfaces

Understanding the microscopic structure of water at metal oxide interfaces is crucial for advancing electrocatalysis. IrO 2 , specifically, has shown exceptional activity for electrochemical water oxidation, but we currently lack a fundamental understanding of how the surface structure of IrO 2 impacts water reactivity. In this work, we developed a machine learning potential trained to first-principles accuracy for modeling IrO 2 /water interfaces across different facets: (110), (100), (101), and (001). Using extensive machine learning molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the spontaneous dissociation of water molecules at these interfaces. Our results reveal a distinct dissociation probability trend: (110) > (100) ≈ (101) > (001), which we attribute primarily to the reaction thermodynamics of surface water dissociation. A strong correlation is observed between the surface Ir–O bond distances and the dissociation probabilities, highlighting the role of surface geometry in modulating reactivity. As a consequence, the interfacial solvation structures and hydrogen bonding environments are dynamically tuned by the varying water dissociation capabilities across facets. This work elucidates how water dissociation energetics depend on surface orientation and interfacial structure, offering atomistic insights into manipulating reaction chemistry at electrocatalytic interfaces.

organic↗

An Atomistic Study of Reactivity in Solid-State Electrolyte Interphase Formation for Li/Li7P3S11

Lithium metal batteries offer superior volumetric and gravimetric specific capacities compared to those based on traditional graphite anodes. Although advancements in solid-state electrolytes address safety concerns, challenges remain, particularly regarding interphase formation in lithium metal anodes. This work presents a computational framework based on high-throughput first-principles density functional theory and machine-learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) including automated iterative, active learning to enable robust computational exploration of interphase formation between lithium metal anodes and an inorganic solid-state electrolyte. As a demonstration, we apply the framework to a Li/Li7P3S11 interface and find that it accurately identifies the experimentally observed, thermodynamically stable interphase products as well as their overall spatial arrangement within a heterogeneous, amorphous layered structure, with Li2S domains of nanocrystallinity. Our simulations show two stages, a fast and slow diffusion reaction regime, that corroborate the relative phase formation rate of Li x P, Li2S, and Li3P. Using the Onsager transport theory, we capture time-dependent ionic diffusion within the reacting interface, including cross-correlation effects. We found that cross-correlation effects between Li-P and P-S ionic motion significantly influence P-ion diffusion, making it highly sensitive to the local environment and potentially leading to "kinetic trapping" of Li-P phases. The passivation of the interface is shown as the ionic fluxes all approach zero, effectively halting interphase growth.

Diffusion↗

BISON Capability to Account for Dopant Sensitivity in Relevant UO 2 Material Models

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program aims to develop predictive capabilities using computational methods for the analysis and design of advanced reactor and fuel cycle systems. This program has been supporting the development of BISON, a high-fidelity and high-resolution fuel performance tool at the engineering scale. Incorporation of more physics-based models in BISON for the accident tolerant fuel applications motivated this study. This document details integration of new modeling capabilities in BISON, including: a tensile strength model for uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) fuel to incorporate the microstructural effects (e.g., grain size, fabrication pore size, and porosity), and atomistic-informed creep model for UO 2 fuel that is developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. Sensitivity analyses are conducted on these models separately as well as a two-dimensional full rod application under normal operating conditions. Lastly, these new modeling capabilities in BISON are exercised in Halden IFA-677.1 and IFA-716.1 assessment cases.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Challenges of conventional iterative all-atom and coarse-grained multiscale molecular dynamics

In this work, we evaluate the biomolecular dynamics behaviors when conventionally iterating between all-atom (AA) and coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations over multiple cycles. We implemented the workflow to iterate between AA and CG in OpenMM, namely the iterative multiscale MD (iMMD) simulation workflow. In particular, we aim to identify practical applications for iterating between AA and CG simulations in a conventional manner without any constraints or model modifications. We evaluate the iMMD workflow on four representative systems, spanning folding of two soluble proteins and protein-protein as well as protein-lipid interactions of two membrane proteins. We observe that iteration between AA and CG representations could help the soluble proteins exit undesirable metastable states to fold, resulting from random protein structural distortions due to cycling. Consequently, the most reliable use of iterative AA and CG simulations appears to be to accelerating complex lipid mixing for membrane-bound protein systems rather than sampling protein conformational space. Our work explores the practical usages and limitations for iterative AA and CG simulations using readily available AA and CG force fields. The evaluated iMMD workflow in OpenMM is made available at https://github.com/lanl/iMMD.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Influence of Ag metal dispersion on the thermal conversion of ethanol to butadiene over Ag-ZrO 2 /SiO 2 catalysts

Atomistic scale models were developed and coupled with experimental investigation to deliver a functional understanding of catalytic activity and selectivity in the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene over Ag/ZrO 2 /SiO 2 . A detailed evaluation of the structural and electronic properties of the resultant catalyst models led to the identification of critical active sites of the catalyst. More importantly, the extent of Ag dispersion on the SiO 2 support and relative proximity to ZrO 2 were found to vary with the oxidation state of Ag and local coordination environment (Ag-O SiO2 ) allowing for critical control of ethanol conversion towards butadiene or ethylene. Simulations revealed that less dispersed or clustered Ag contain predominantly Ag 0 charge state and promote conversion of ethanol to ethylene. The well-dispersed Ag/ZrO 2 /SiO 2 catalyst instead contain a larger fraction of cationic Ag δ+ , and predominantly promote ethanol dehydrogenation and subsequent production of butadiene. The theoretical insights drawn were validated and confirmed experimentally using TEM, XRD and reactivity measurements demonstrating the effect of Ag dispersion on the selectivity of ethanol conversion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Composition and Configuration Dependence of Glass-Transition Temperature in Binary Copolymers and Blends of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Biopolymers

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a promising class of biomaterials, have gained considerable attention to replace petroleum-based plastics owing to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Homopolymers of PHA suffer from poor tunability in thermal and mechanical properties. Going from homopolymers to copolymers, the design space can be substantially enhanced by combining two or more monomers in different compositions (i.e., relative ratios of the different monomers) and configurations (i.e., relative positions of the different monomers in the polymer backbone) leading to a substantially large chemical space where application-specific optimization for the targeted functionality can be performed. However, this composition and configuration dependence of properties in the vast PHA copolymer chemical space remains largely unexplored. In this contribution, further building on our past work with PHA homopolymers, we systematically explore these chemical trends for glass-transition temperature (Tg) in PHA copolymers and blends. Overall, our molecular dynamics simulations, utilizing a previously validated force field for PHAs, suggest that these trends are largely governed not only by the homopolymer Tg values but also configuration-dependent interchain interactions in the copolymer system. In particular, our results indicate that the configuration-dependent variation in the target property at a fixed composition can be significant in the presence of hydrogen-bond-forming monomers. These qualitative observations are further rationalized by quantitatively analyzing various closely related atomic level descriptors of copolymers and blends such as monomer mobility, number of hydrogen bonds, and pair correlation functions. The findings presented in this work help to develop a deeper atomistic-level understanding of thermomechanical behavior of PHA-based copolymers and can potentially guide the rational design of biopolymers as environmental-friendly functional materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Universal Electronic‐Structure Relationship Governing Intrinsic Magnetic Properties in Permanent Magnets

An electronic-structure-centered perspective is presented on permanent-magnet (PM) design, highlighting two key levers, that is, saturation magnetization (M s ), governed by 3d-band filling and exchange physics, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE), arising from spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on anisotropic orbital populations. Reviewing current practices, including DFT-based MAE/J ij extraction, atomistic-spin and micromagnetic modeling, and high-throughput machine learning (ML) pipelines, three bottlenecks limiting predictive discovery is identified that is i) electronic-structure accuracy for small MAE (sensitive to functional choice, Hubbard U, and many-body effects), ii) finite-temperature and kinetic realism (phonon/magnon renormalization, ordering kinetics), and iii) descriptor and multiscale decoupling (lack of SOC-weighted and orbital-resolved fingerprints). Deep dives into the electronic-structure of Nd─Fe─B and Fe─N show how these fingerprints govern magnetic performance, motivating DFT- and quantum-mechanics-based descriptors for discovery. Unbiased, structure-driven exploration, coupled with high-throughput simulations, ML, generative AI, and reasoning models, accelerates candidate identification and propagates insights across scales. Addressing supply-chain risks, on future needs of designing “critical-element-free” magnets with tailored microstructure and high energy products is emphasized. By integrating electronic fingerprints, AI reasoning, and multiscale modeling, a practical roadmap is provided for rare-earth-lean or rare-earth free, high-performance, sustainable PMs.

Singh, Prashant [Ames Laboratory, and Iowa State U↗

Data-driven electron-diffraction approach reveals local short-range ordering in CrCoNi with ordering effects

Abstract The exceptional mechanical strength of medium/high-entropy alloys has been attributed to hardening in random solid solutions. Here, we evidence non-random chemical mixing in a CrCoNi alloy, resulting from short-range ordering. A data-mining approach of electron nanodiffraction enabled the study, which is assisted by neutron scattering, atom probe tomography, and diffraction simulation using first-principles theory models. Two samples, one homogenized and one heat-treated, are observed. In both samples, results reveal two types of short-range-order inside nanoclusters that minimize the Cr–Cr nearest neighbors (L1 2 ) or segregate Cr on alternating close-packed planes (L1 1 ). The L1 1 is predominant in the homogenized sample, while the L1 2 formation is promoted by heat-treatment, with the latter being accompanied by a dramatic change in dislocation-slip behavior. These findings uncover short-range order and the resulted chemical heterogeneities behind the mechanical strength in CrCoNi, providing general opportunities for atomistic-structure study in concentrated alloys for the design of strong and ductile materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Status Report on Design of In-situ Thermomechanical Testing at LANSCE

Nuclear fuel encounters severe thermomechanical environments in which its mechanical response is determined by its microstructure, temperature and stress level histories. Simulating the response of such microstructures is crucial for predicting both performance and transient fuel mechanical responses and experimental verification of such predictions is therefore of great interest. While most of the deformation in a nuclear fuel rod occurs in the cladding, deformation of the fuel itself is still of interest with deformation mechanisms at operating temperature and above including creep, swelling, cracking as well as pellet-clad interaction. Characterization of these properties and understanding of the underlying deformation phenomena at operating or excursion temperatures is therefore of great importance for development and ultimately licensing of improved and novel nuclear fuel forms. Diffraction techniques offer unique insight on the atomistic (e.g. crystal structure) and microstructure (e.g. phase transformations, texture, defects) length scales and have a long history of providing unique data to inform relevant deformation models that enable the required predictive capabilities. For example, dislocations lead to diffraction peak broadening that can be characterized to estimate the dislocation density and study the role of dislocations on the deformation while measuring lattice strains allows to studie load sharing in two phase materials. In this report the requirements for a sample environment for high temperature deformation of nuclear fuels are defined. The HIPPO neutron time-of-flight diffractometer at LANSCE will host this sample environment and is also described. This instrument covers diffraction angles from 140° to 40° and is also equipped with an event-mode neutron imaging detector system, enabling energy-resolved neutron imaging in parallel with the diffraction that could measure sample temperature from Doppler broadening of neutron absorption resonances or measure pore densities from changes in the attenuation. Designs of devices to characterize thermomechanical properties of nuclear fuel without diffraction are also considered to guide the design. While this report is focused on applications for nuclear fuels, the device can also characterize cladding, moderator or structural materials and therefore contribute to other fields of research and development for advanced reactors. The temperatures planned to be reached are above 2000℃, thus enabling characterization of LWR reactor fuels under accident scenarios but also reaching temperatures of fuels developed for nuclear thermal propulsion and providing opportunities to characterize those. In conjunction with the energy-resolved neutron imaging detector, this setup would allow to measure neutron cross-sections at high temperatures, filling a gap towards development of reactors operating at high temperatures.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Accelerating multiscale electronic stopping power predictions with time-dependent density functional theory and machine learning

Knowing the rate at which particle radiation releases energy in a material, the “stopping power,” is key to designing nuclear reactors, medical treatments, semiconductor and quantum materials, and many other technologies. While the nuclear contribution to stopping power, i.e., elastic scattering between atoms, is well understood in the literature, the route for gathering data on the electronic contribution has for decades remained costly and reliant on many simplifying assumptions, including that materials are isotropic. We establish a method that combines time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and machine learning to reduce the time to assess new materials to hours on a supercomputer and provide valuable data on how atomic details influence electronic stopping. Our approach uses TDDFT to compute the electronic stopping from first principles in several directions and then machine learning to interpolate to other directions at a cost of 10 million times fewer core-hours. We demonstrate the combined approach in a study of proton irradiation in aluminum and employ it to predict how the depth of maximum energy deposition, the “Bragg Peak,” varies depending on the incident angle—a quantity otherwise inaccessible to modelers and far outside the scales of quantum mechanical simulations. The lack of any experimental information requirement makes our method applicable to most materials, and its speed makes it a prime candidate for enabling quantum-to-continuum models of radiation damage. The prospect of reusing valuable TDDFT data for training the model makes our approach appealing for applications in the age of materials data science.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗