Nanoindentation into a bcc high-entropy HfNbTaTiZr alloy-an atomistic study of the effect of short-range order

The plastic response of the Senkov HfNbTaTiZr high-entropy alloy is explored by means of simulated nanoindentation tests. Both a random alloy and an alloy with chemical short-range order are investigated and compared to the well understood case of an elementary Ta crystal. Strong differences in the dislocation plasticity between the alloys and the elementary Ta crystal are found. The high-entropy alloys show only little relaxation of the indentation dislocation network after indenter retraction and only negligible dislocation emission into the sample interior. Short-range order-besides making the alloy both stiffer and harder-further increases the size of the plastic zone and the dislocation density there. These features are explained by the slow dislocation migration in these alloys. Also, the short-range-ordered alloy features no twinning plasticity in contrast to the random alloy, while elemental Ta exhibits twinning under high stress but detwins considerably under stress relief. The results are in good qualitative agreement with our current knowledge of plasticity in high-entropy alloys.

An atomistic study of sticking, bouncing, and aggregate destruction in collisions of grains with small aggregates

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study central collisions between spherical grains and between grains and small grain aggregates (up to 5 grains). For a model material (Lennard-Jones), grain-grain collisions are sticking when the relative velocity v is smaller than the so-called bouncing velocity and bouncing for higher velocities. We find a similar behavior for grain-aggregate collisions. The value of the bouncing velocity depends only negligibly on the aggregate size. However, it is by 35% larger than the separation velocity needed to break a contact; this is explained by energy dissipation processes during the collision. The separation velocity follows the predictions of the macroscopic Johnson-Kendall-Roberts theory of contacts. At even higher collision velocities, the aggregate is destroyed, first by the loss of a monomer grain and then by total disruption. In contrast to theoretical considerations, we do not find a proportionality of the collision energy needed for destruction and the number of bonds to be broken. Our study thus sheds novel light on the foundations of granular mechanics, namely the energy needed to separate two grains, the difference between grain-grain and grain-aggregate collisions, and the energy needed for aggregate destruction.

Adsorption of Diclofenac and PFBS on a Hair Keratin Dimer

Environmental pollution by man-made toxic and persistent organic compounds, found throughout the world in surface and groundwater, has various negative effects on aquatic life systems and even humans. Therefore, it is important to develop and improve water treatment technologies capable of removing such substances from wastewater and purifying drinking water. The two substances investigated are the widely used painkiller diclofenac and a member of the class of "forever chemicals", perfluorobutanesulfonate. Both are known to have serious negative effects on living organisms, especially under long-term exposure, and are detectable in human hair, suggesting adsorption to a part of the hair fiber complex. In this study, a human hair keratin dimer is investigated for its ability to absorb diclofenac and perfluorobutanesulfonate. Initial predictions for binding sites are obtained via molecular docking and subjected to molecular dynamics simulations for more than 1 μs. The binding affinities obtained by the linear interaction energy method are high enough to motivate further research on human hair keratins as a sustainable, low-cost, and easily allocatable filtration material.

The effect of collisions on the chemomechanics of ice-covered silica slabs: a molecular dynamics study

Using molecular dynamics simulation and the REAX potential, we study the collision of two planar silica surfaces covered by water ice. Without the ice cover, the two surfaces stick at all velocities investigated (160-1800 m s-1), due to the formation of chemical bonds between the colliding surfaces. A narrow ice cover - here of thickness 2 nm - prevents the sticking above a characteristic velocity, the bouncing velocity νb. During the collision, reactions occur at the silica-water interface; in particular, water molecules are dissociated and silanols are formed at the surface of the silica slabs. Passivation of the silica surface by H atoms is of little consequence to the magnitude of vb but reduces the number of surface reactions occurring.

Strain-rate-dependent plasticity of Ta-Cu nanocomposites for therapeutic implants

Recently, Ta/Cu nanocomposites have been widely used in therapeutic medical devices due to their excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility, antimicrobial property, and outstanding corrosion and wear resistance. Since mechanical yielding and any other deformation in the patient's body during treatment are unacceptable in medicine, the characterization of the mechanical behavior of these nanomaterials is of great importance. We focus on the microstructural evolution of Ta/Cu nanocomposite samples under uniaxial tensile loading conditions at different strain rates using a series of molecular dynamics simulations and compare to the reference case of pure Ta. The results show that the increase in dislocation density at lower strain rates leads to the significant weakening of the mechanical properties. The strain rate-dependent plastic deformation mechanism of the samples can be divided into three main categories: phase transitions at the extreme strain rates, dislocation slip/twinning at lower strain rates for coarse-grained samples, and grain-boundary based activities for the finer-grained samples. Finally, we demonstrate that the load transfer from the Ta matrix to the Cu nanoparticles via the interfacial region can significantly affect the plastic deformation of the matrix in all nanocomposite samples. These results will prove useful for the design of therapeutic implants based on Ta/Cu nanocomposites.

Spin-lattice-dynamics analysis of magnetic properties of iron under compression

Compression of a magnetic material leads to a change in its magnetic properties. We examine this effect using spin-lattice dynamics for the special case of bcc-Fe, using both single- and poly-crystalline Fe and a bicontinuous nanofoam structure. We find that during the elastic phase of compression, the magnetization increases due to a higher population of the nearest-neighbor shell of atoms and the resulting higher exchange interaction of neighboring spins. In contrast, in the plastic phase of compression, the magnetization sinks, as defects are created, increasing the disorder and typically decreasing the average atom coordination number. The effects are more pronounced in single crystals than in polycrystals, since the presence of defects in the form of grain boundaries counteracts the increase in magnetization during the elastic phase of compression. Also, the effects are more pronounced at temperatures close to the Curie temperature than at room temperature. In nanofoams, the effect of compression is minor since compression proceeds more by void reduction and filament bending-with negligible effect on magnetization-than by strain within the ligaments. These findings will prove useful for tailoring magnetization under strain by introducing plasticity.

Adsorption of Diclofenac and Its UV Phototransformation Products in an Aqueous Solution on PVDF: A Molecular Modeling Study

The presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water has generated considerable scientific interest in potential improvements to polymeric membranes for water purification at the nanoscale. In this work, we investigate the adsorption of diclofenac and its ultraviolet (UV) phototransformation products on amorphous and crystalline poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) membrane surfaces at the nanoscale using molecular modeling. We report binding affinities by determining the free energy landscape via the extended adaptive biasing force method. The high binding affinities of the phototransformation products found are consistent with qualitative experimental results. For diclofenac, we found similar or better affinities than those for the phototransformation products, which seems to be in contrast to the experimental findings. This discrepancy can only be explained if the maximum adsorption density of diclofenac is much lower than that of the products. Overall, negligible differences between the adsorption affinities of the crystalline phases are observed, suggesting that no tuning of the PVDF surfaces is necessary to optimize filtration capabilities.

Simulated nanoindentation into single-phase fcc Fe[Formula: see text]Ni[Formula: see text] alloys predicts maximum hardness for equiatomic stoichiometry

We investigate by molecular dynamics simulation the mechanical behavior of concentrated alloys under nanoindentation for the special example of single-phase fcc Fe[Formula: see text]Ni[Formula: see text] alloys. The indentation hardness is maximum for the equiatomic alloy, [Formula: see text]. This finding is in agreement with experimental results on the strength of these alloys under uniaxial strain. We explain this finding with the increase of the unstable stacking fault energy in the alloys towards [Formula: see text]. With increasing Fe content, loop emission from the plastic zone under the indenter becomes less pronounced and the plastic zone features a larger fraction of screw dislocation segments; simultaneously, the length of the dislocation network and the number of atoms in the stacking faults generated in the plastic zone increase. However, the volume of twinned regions in the plastic zone is highest for the elemental solids and decreases for the alloys. This feature is explained by the fact that twinning proceeds by the glide of dislocations on adjacent parallel lattice planes; this concerted motion is less efficient in the alloys. Finally, we find that surface imprints show increasing pile-up heights with increasing Fe content. The present results will be of interest for hardness engineering or generating hardness profiles in concentrated alloys.

Collisions between CO, CO[Formula: see text], H[Formula: see text]O and Ar ice nanoparticles compared by molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study collisions between amorphous ice nanoparticles consisting of CO, CO[Formula: see text], Ar and H[Formula: see text]O. The collisions are always sticking for the nanoparticle size (radius of 20 nm) considered. At higher collision velocities, the merged clusters show strong plastic deformation and material mixing in the collision zone. Collision-induced heating influences the collision outcome. Partial melting of the merged cluster in the collision zone contributes to energy dissipation and deformation. Considerable differences exist-even at comparable collision conditions-between the ices studied here. The number of ejecta emitted during the collision follows the trend in triple-point temperatures and increases exponentially with the NP temperature.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the mechanical behavior of alumina coated aluminum nanowires under tension and compression

For materials with high oxygen affinity, oxide layers will significantly change the material properties. This is of particular importance for aluminum nanowires which have many applications because of their ultrahigh strengths. Recent studies show that thin amorphous oxide shell layers on aluminum surfaces significantly change the responses of the material. However, the relations between the thickness of the oxidized layer, the strain rate and the mechanical response of nanowires to compression and tension have not been investigated intensively. In this study, we use a ReaxFF potential to analyze the influences of oxide shell layers on the material responses of the nanowires under uniaxial tension and compression at different strain rates. The Al–O interface leads to an increased defect nucleation rate at the oxide interface preventing localized deformation. During tension, we observe a reorganization of the structure of the oxide layer leading to bond healing and preventing fracture. While ductility is increasing with coating thickness during tension, the thickness of the coating is less decisive during compression.

Alumina coatings increase the ductility of aluminum nanowires by reorganization of the Al–O layer and stabilization of bonds.

Bouncing of Hydroxylated Silica Nanoparticles: an Atomistic Study Based on REAX Potentials

Clean silica surfaces have a high surface energy. In consequence, colliding silica nanoparticles will stick rather than bounce over a wide range of collision velocities. Often, however, silica surfaces are passivated by adsorbates, in particular water, which considerably reduce the surface energy. We study the effect of surface hydroxylation on silica nanoparticle collisions by atomistic simulation, using the REAX potential that allows for bond breaking and formation. We find that the bouncing velocity is reduced by more than an order of magnitude compared to clean nanoparticle collisions.

Boron nitride nanotubes as containers for targeted drug delivery of doxorubicin

Using molecular dynamics simulations, the adsorption and diffusion of doxorubicin drug molecules in boron nitride nanotubes are investigated. The interaction between doxorubicin and the nanotube is governed by van der Waals attraction. We find strong adsorption of doxorubicin to the wall for narrow nanotubes (radius of 9 Å). For larger radii (12 and 15 Å), the adsorption energy decreases, while the diffusion coefficient of doxorubicin increases. It does, however, not reach the values of pure water, as adsorption events still hinder the doxorubicin mobility. It is concluded that nanotubes wider than around 4 nm diameter can serve as efficient drug containers for targeted drug delivery of doxorubicin in cancer chemotherapy.

The Influence of Lubrication and the Solid-Fluid Interaction on Thermodynamic Properties in a Nanoscopic Scratching Process

Liquid lubricants play an important role in contact processes; for example, they reduce friction and cool the contact zone. To gain better understanding of the influence of lubrication on the nanoscale, both dry and lubricated scratching processes in a model system are compared in the present work using molecular dynamics simulations. The entire range between total dewetting and total wetting is investigated by tuning the solid-fluid interaction energy. The investigated scratching process consists of three sequential movements: A cylindrical indenter penetrates an initially flat substrate, then scratches in the lateral direction, and is finally retracted out of the contact with the substrate. The indenter is fully submersed in the fluid in the lubricated cases. The substrate, the indenter, and the fluid are described by suitably parametrized Lennard-Jones model potentials. The presence of the lubricant is found to have a significant influence on the friction and on the energy balance of the process. The thermodynamic properties of the lubricant are evaluated in detail. A correlation of the simulation results for the profiles of the temperature, density, and pressure of the fluid in the vicinity of the chip is developed. The work done by the indenter is found to mainly dissipate and thereby heat up the substrate and eventually the fluid. Only a minor part of the work causes plastic deformation of the substrate.

Adsorption and Diffusion of Cisplatin Molecules in Nanoporous Materials: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Using molecular dynamics simulations, the adsorption and diffusion of cisplatin drug molecules in nanopores is investigated for several inorganic materials. Three different materials are studied with widely-varying properties: metallic gold, covalent silicon, and silica. We found a strong influence of both the van der Waals and the electrostatic interaction on the adsorption behavior on the pore walls, which in turn influence the diffusion coefficients. While van der Waals forces generally lead to a reduction of the diffusion coefficient, the fluctuations in the electrostatic energy induced by orientation changes of the cisplatin molecule were found to help desorb the molecule from the wall.

Bouncing window for colliding nanoparticles: Role of dislocation generation

Available macroscopic theories-such as the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) model-predict spherical particles to stick to each other at small collision velocities v; above the bouncing velocity, v_{b}, they bounce. We study the details of the bouncing threshold using molecular dynamics simulation for crystalline nanoparticles where atoms interact via the Lennard-Jones potential. We show that the bouncing velocity strongly depends on the nanoparticle orientation during collision; for some orientations, nanoparticles stick at all velocities. The dependence of bouncing on orientation is caused by energy dissipation during dislocation activity. The bouncing velocity decreases with increasing nanoparticle radius in reasonable agreement with JKR theory. For orientations for which bouncing exists, nanoparticles stick again at a higher velocity, the fusion velocity, v_{f}, such that bouncing only occurs in a finite range of velocities-the bouncing window. The fusion velocity is rather independent of the nanoparticle radius.

Alcohol reduces muscle fatigue through atomistic interactions with nicotinic receptors

Alcohol consumption affects many organs and tissues, including skeletal muscle. However, the molecular mechanism of ethanol action on skeletal muscle remains unclear. Here, using molecular dynamics simulations and single channel recordings, we show that ethanol interacts with a negatively charged amino acid within an extracellular region of the neuromuscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), thereby altering its global conformation and reducing the single channel current amplitude. Charge reversal of the negatively charged amino acid abolishes the nAChR-ethanol interaction. Moreover, using transgenic animals harboring the charge-reversal mutation, ex vivo measurements of muscle force production show that ethanol counters fatigue in wild type but not homozygous αE83K mutant animals. In accord, in vivo studies of motor coordination following ethanol administration reveal an approximately twofold improvement for wild type compared to homozygous mutant animals. Together, the converging results from molecular to animal studies suggest that ethanol counters muscle fatigue through its interaction with neuromuscular nAChRs.

The bouncing threshold in silica nanograin collisions

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study collisions between amorphous silica nanoparticles. Our silica model contains uncontaminated surfaces, that is, the effect of surface hydroxylation or of adsorbed water layers is excluded. For central collisions, we characterize the boundary between sticking and bouncing collisions as a function of impact velocity and particle size and quantify the coefficient of restitution. We show that the traditional Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) model provides a valid description of the ingoing trajectory of two grains up to the moment of maximum compression. The distance of closest approach is slightly underestimated by the JKR model, due to the appearance of plasticity in the grains, which shows up in the form of localized shear transformation zones. The JKR model strongly underestimates the contact radius and the collision duration during the outgoing trajectory, evidencing that the breaking of covalent bonds during grain separation is not well described by this model. The adhesive neck formed between the two grains finally collapses while creating narrow filaments joining the grains, which eventually tear.

Influence of Elastic Stiffness and Surface Adhesion on Bouncing of Nanoparticles

Granular collisions are characterized by a threshold velocity, separating the low-velocity regime of grain sticking from the high-velocity regime of grain bouncing: the bouncing velocity, v _b . This parameter is particularly important for nanograins and has applications for instance in astrophysics where it enters the description of collisional dust aggregation. Analytic estimates are based on the macroscopic Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) theory, which predicts the dependence of v _b on the radius, elastic stiffness, and surface adhesion of grains. Here, we perform atomistic simulations with model potentials that allow us to test these dependencies for nanograin collisions. Our results not only show that JKR describes the dependence on materials parameters qualitatively well, but also point at considerable quantitative deviations. These are the most pronounced for small adhesion, where elastic stiffness does not influence the value of the bouncing velocity.

Accelerated Molecular Dynamics Study of the Effects of Surface Hydrophilicity on Protein Adsorption

The adsorption of streptavidin is studied on two surfaces, graphite and titanium dioxide, using accelerated molecular dynamics. Adsorption on graphite leads to strong conformational changes while the protein spreads out over the surface. Interestingly, also adsorption on the highly hydrophilic rutile surface induces considerable spreading of the protein. We pin down the cause for this unfolding to the interaction of the protein with the ordered water layers above the rutile surface. For special orientations, the protein penetrates the ordered water layers and comes into direct contact with the surface where the positively charged amino acids settle in places adjacent to the negatively charged top surface atom layer of rutile. We conclude that for both surface materials studied, streptavidin changes its conformation so strongly that it loses its potential for binding biotin. Our results are in good qualitative agreement with available experimental studies.

Forced Desorption of Bovine Serum Albumin and Lysozyme from Graphite: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulation

We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study the adsorption and desorption of two widely different proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme, on a graphite surface. The adsorption is modeled using accelerated MD to allow the proteins to find optimum conformations on the surface. Our results demonstrate that the "hard protein" lysozyme retains much of its secondary structure during adsorption, whereas BSA loses it almost completely. BSA has a considerably larger adsorption energy compared to that of lysozyme, which does not scale with chain length. Desorption simulations are carried out using classical steered MD. The BSA molecule becomes fully unzipped during pull-off, whereas several helices survive this process in lysozyme. The unzipping process shows up in the force-distance curve of BSA as a series of peaks, whereas only a single or few, depending on protein orientation, force peaks occur for lysozyme. The maximum desorption force is larger for BSA than for lysozyme, but only by a factor of about 2.3.

The elastic-plastic transition in nanoparticle collisions

When nanoparticles (NPs) collide with low velocities, they interact elastically in the sense that--besides their fusion caused by their mutual van-der-Waals attraction--no defects are generated. We investigate the minimum velocity, vc, necessary for generating defects and inducing plasticity in the NP. The determination of this elastic-plastic threshold is of prime importance for modeling the behavior of granular matter. Using the generic Lennard-Jones interaction potential, we find vc to increase strongly with decreasing radius. Current models do not agree with our simulations, but we provide a model based on dislocation emission in the contact zone that quantitatively describes the size dependence of the elastic-plastic transition.

Nucleation of plasticity in nanoparticle collisions

While at small collision velocities collisions of nanoparticles (NPs) are elastic, they become plastic at higher velocities. We study the elastic-plastic threshold and the onset of plasticity using molecular dynamics simulation for a Lennard-Jones material. The reasons behind the R^{-2/3} increase of the threshold velocity for small NP radii R found recently are discussed. At the threshold, NP orientation strongly influences the generation of plasticity, and averaging over many orientations is required to predict the critical velocity for dislocation generation. The onset of plasticity is governed by the generation of isolated stacking faults and nanotwins spanning the entire NP. At higher velocities, the fraction of defects becomes proportional to the total number of atoms in the NP.

Nanoindentation of hcp metals: a comparative simulation study of the evolution of dislocation networks

Using molecular dynamics simulation, we study the nanoindentation of three hcp metals: Mg, Ti, and Zr. Both the basal and two prismatic surface planes are considered. We focus on the characterization of the plasticity generated in the crystal. The similarities to, and the differences from, the behavior of the more commonly investigated fcc and bcc metals are highlighted. We find that hcp metals show a larger variety than the fcc and bcc metals studied up until now. The prolific emission of prismatic loops can lead to extended plastic zones. The size of the plastic zone is quantified by the ratio f of the plastic zone radius to the radius of the contact area. We find values of between 1.6 (an almost collapsed zone) and >5; in the latter case, complex dislocation networks build up which are extended in the direction of easy glide.

Collision-spike Sputtering of Au Nanoparticles

Ion irradiation of nanoparticles leads to enhanced sputter yields if the nanoparticle size is of the order of the ion penetration depth. While this feature is reasonably well understood for collision-cascade sputtering, we explore it in the regime of collision-spike sputtering using molecular-dynamics simulation. For the particular case of 200-keV Xe bombardment of Au particles, we show that collision spikes lead to abundant sputtering with an average yield of 397 ± 121 atoms compared to only 116 ± 48 atoms for a bulk Au target. Only around 31 % of the impact energy remains in the nanoparticles after impact; the remainder is transported away by the transmitted projectile and the ejecta. The sputter yield of supported nanoparticles is estimated to be around 80 % of that of free nanoparticles due to the suppression of forward sputtering.

A structural feature of the non-peptide ligand interactions with mice mu-opioid receptors

By binding to and activating the G-protein coupled μ-, κ- and δ-opioid receptors in the central nervous system, opiates are known to induce analgesic and sedative effects. In particular, non-peptide opioid ligands are often used in clinical applications to induce these therapeutically beneficial effects, due to their superior pharmacokinetics and bioavailability in comparison to endogenous neuropeptides. However, since opioid alkaloids are highly addictive substances, it is necessary to understand the exact mechanisms of their actions, specifically the ligand-binding properties of the target receptors, in order to safely apply opiates for therapeutic purposes. Using an in silico molecular docking approach (AutoDock Vina) combined with two-step cluster analysis, we have computationally obtained the docking scores and the ligand-binding pockets of twelve representative non-peptide nonendogenous agonists and antagonists at the crystallographically identified μ-opioid receptor. Our study predicts the existence of two main binding sites that are congruently present in all opioid receptor types. Interestingly, in terms of the agonist or antagonist properties of the substances on the receptors, the clustering analysis suggests a relationship with the position of the ligand-binding pockets, particularly its depth within the receptor structure. Furthermore, the binding affinity of the substances is directly correlated to the proximity of the binding pockets to the extracellular space. In conclusion, the results provide further insights into the structural features of the functional pharmacology of opioid receptors, suggesting the importance of the binding position of non-peptide agonists and antagonists- specifically the distance and the level of exposure to the extracellular space- to their dissociation kinetics and subsequent potency.

Compaction of highly porous granular matter by impacts on a hard wall

Using a granular-mechanics code, we study the impact of a highly porous granular body on a hard wall. The projectile consists of monodisperse adhesive micrometer-sized silica grains. For the impact velocities studied, v<0.5m/s, the sample does not fragment, but is compacted. We find that the compaction is proportional to the impact speed. The proportionality constant increases with decreasing porosity. However, the compaction is inhomogeneous and decreases with distance from the target. A compaction wave runs through the aggregate; it slows down while the compaction becomes less efficient.

Contact angle of sessile drops in Lennard-Jones systems

Molecular dynamics simulations are used for studying the contact angle of nanoscale sessile drops on a planar solid wall in a system interacting via the truncated and shifted Lennard-Jones potential. The entire range between total wetting and dewetting is investigated by varying the solid-fluid dispersive interaction energy. The temperature is varied between the triple point and the critical temperature. A correlation is obtained for the contact angle in dependence of the temperature and the dispersive interaction energy. Size effects are studied by varying the number of fluid particles at otherwise constant conditions, using up to 150,000 particles. For particle numbers below 10,000, a decrease of the contact angle is found. This is attributed to a dependence of the solid-liquid surface tension on the droplet size. A convergence to a constant contact angle is observed for larger system sizes. The influence of the wall model is studied by varying the density of the wall. The effective solid-fluid dispersive interaction energy at a contact angle of θ = 90° is found to be independent of temperature and to decrease linearly with the solid density. A correlation is developed that describes the contact angle as a function of the dispersive interaction, the temperature, and the solid density. The density profile of the sessile drop and the surrounding vapor phase is described by a correlation combining a sigmoidal function and an oscillation term.

Enhancing protein adsorption simulations by using accelerated molecular dynamics

The atomistic modeling of protein adsorption on surfaces is hampered by the different time scales of the simulation ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]s) and experiment (up to hours), and the accordingly different 'final' adsorption conformations. We provide evidence that the method of accelerated molecular dynamics is an efficient tool to obtain equilibrated adsorption states. As a model system we study the adsorption of the protein BMP-2 on graphite in an explicit salt water environment. We demonstrate that due to the considerably improved sampling of conformational space, accelerated molecular dynamics allows to observe the complete unfolding and spreading of the protein on the hydrophobic graphite surface. This result is in agreement with the general finding of protein denaturation upon contact with hydrophobic surfaces.

Impact on porous targets: penetration, crater formation, target compaction, and ejection

Using a granular-mechanics code, we study the impact of a sphere into a porous adhesive granular target, consisting of monodisperse silica grains. The model includes elastic repulsive, adhesive, and dissipative forces, as well as sliding, rolling, and twisting friction. Impact velocities of up to 30 m/s and target filling factors (densities) between 19% and 35% have been systematically studied. We find that the projectile is stopped by an effective drag force which is proportional to the square of its velocity. Target adhesion influences projectile stopping only below a critical velocity, which increases with adhesion. The penetration depth depends approximately logarithmically on the impact velocity and is inversely proportional to the target density. The excavated crater is of conical form and is surrounded by a compaction zone whose width increases but whose maximum value decreases with increasing target density. Grain ejection increases in proportion with impactor velocity. Grains are ejected which have originally been buried to a depth of 8R(grain) below the surface; the angular distribution favors oblique ejection with a maximum around 45°. The velocity distribution of ejected grains features a broad low-velocity maximum around 0.5-1 m/s but exhibits a high-velocity tail up to ~15% of the projectile impact velocity.

Desolvation of macromolecules by ultrafast heating: A molecular-dynamics study

Using molecular-dynamics simulation, we investigate the consequences of ultrafast laser-induced heating of a water droplet containing a solvated polymer, using the example of a 1 ps laser irradiation. We study the isolation process and the properties of the isolated polymer as a function of the polymer size, the droplet size, and the temperature to which the droplet is heated. We find that the isolation process occurs on a time scale of a few ten ps. The final polymer temperature increases linearly with the heating. Polymers embedded in larger droplets acquire higher temperatures, while larger polymers are less heated. In spite of the ultrafast heating, the isolated polymer remains in its coiled conformation.

Why nanoprojectiles work differently than macroimpactors: the role of plastic flow

Atomistic simulation data on crater formation due to the hypervelocity impact of nanoprojectiles of up to 55 nm diameter and with targets containing up to 1.1×10(10) atoms are compared to available experimental data on μm-, mm-, and cm-sized projectiles. We show that previous scaling laws do not hold in the nanoregime and outline the reasons: within our simulations we observe that the cratering mechanism changes, going from the smallest to the largest simulated scales, from an evaporative regime to a regime where melt and plastic flow dominate, as is expected in larger microscale experiments. The importance of the strain-rate dependence of strength and of dislocation production and motion are discussed.

Role of cohesive energy in droplet fragmentation

Using molecular-dynamics simulation, we investigate the fragmentation behavior of droplets after collision with a wall. We demonstrate that the ratio of the impact to the cohesive energy E(coh) of the droplet is the key quantity characterizing the droplet fragmentation process. To show this both van der Waals-bonded Ar and N(2) droplets and polar H(2)O droplets are studied. If the impact energy per molecule E<(0.35-0.4)E(coh), the droplet is reflected without fragmenting. Beyond that impact energy fragmentation of the droplet abruptly starts. At E=E(coh), the fragmentation process already results in a fine dispersal of the droplet into daughter droplets; the maximum fragment contains only less than 4% of the initial droplet mass and around one-third of the droplet has been shattered into isolated molecules. The disintegration process continuously increases with collision energy. These findings are relevant for the process of droplet fragmentation as used in the method of impact desolvation of electrosprayed microdroplets mass spectrometry.

Molecular dynamics simulation of free and forced BSA adsorption on a hydrophobic graphite surface

The adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto a hydrophobic graphite surface is studied using molecular-dynamics simulation. In addition to the free, that is, unsteered, adsorption, we also investigate forced adsorption, in which the action of an AFM tip pushing the protein with constant force to the surface is modeled. Using an implicit inviscid water model, the adsorption dynamics and energetics are monitored for two different initial protein orientations toward the surface. In all cases, we find that the protein partially unfolds and spreads on the surface. The spreading is in agreement with the well-known high biocompatibility of graphite-based implants. The denaturation is, however, greatly enhanced in the case of forced adsorption. We follow the position of the so-called lipid-binding pocket found in subdomain IIIA (Sudlow site II) during adsorption and find that it is tilted and moved toward the graphite surface in all cases, in agreement with its hydrophobic character. The relevance of our findings for the common measurement procedure of studying protein adhesion using AFM experiments is discussed.

Short-pulse Laser Induced Transient Structure Formation and Ablation Studied with Time-resolved Coherent XUV-scattering

The structural dynamics of short-pulse laser irradiated surfaces and nano-structures has been studied with nm spatial and ultrafast temporal resolution by means of single-shot coherent XUV-scattering techniques. The experiments allowed us to time-resolve the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures, and to follow the expansion and disintegration of nano-objects during laser ablation.

Trails of kilovolt ions created by subsurface channeling

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe the damage trails produced by keV noble-gas ions incident at glancing angles onto Pt(111). Surface vacancies and adatoms aligned along the ion trajectory constitute the ion trails. Atomistic simulations reveal that these straight trails are produced by nuclear (elastic) collisions with surface layer atoms during subsurface channeling of the projectiles. In a small energy window around 5 keV, Xe+ ions create vacancy grooves that mark the ion trajectory with atomic precision. The asymmetry of the adatom production on the two sides of the projectile path is traced back to the asymmetry of the ion's subsurface channel.

Evaporation of solvent molecules by ultrafast heating: effect on conformation of solvated protein

Using molecular dynamics simulation, we compare two cases of ultrafast heating of a small water droplet containing a solvated protein (echistatin). If the water temperature after irradiation is above the critical temperature, explosive boiling liberates the protein within some 10 ps of its hydration shell, while its temperature remains relatively low. By comparing with the case where the water shell is heated to the same final temperature, but without complete evaporation, we demonstrate that the protein conformation is governed by the hydration shell rather than by the protein temperature.

Solid-solid phase transitions in Fe nanowires induced by axial strain

By means of classical molecular-dynamics simulations we investigate the solid-solid phase transition from a bcc to a close-packed crystal structure in cylindrical iron nanowires, induced by axial strain. The interatomic potential employed has been shown to be capable of describing the martensite-austenite phase transition in iron. We study the stress versus strain curves for different temperatures and show that for a range of temperatures it is possible to induce a solid-solid phase transition by axial strain before the elasticity is lost; these transition temperatures are below the bulk transition temperature. The two phases have different (non-linear) elastic behavior: the bcc phase softens, while the close-packed phase stiffens with temperature. We also consider the reversibility of the transformation in the elastic regimes, and the role of the strain rate on the critical strain necessary for phase transition.

Ejection of nanoclusters from gold nanoislet layers by 38 keV Au ions in the elastic stopping mode

Total absolute yields of the ejected gold were obtained regardless of the type of the particles are--atoms, clusters, nanoclusters,--as well as absolute yields of gold nanoclusters, from nanoislet gold targets under bombardment by monoatomic gold ions at 45 degrees to the target surface with the energy 38 keV, i.e., in the "purely" elastic stopping mode -6 keV/nm up to the fluence of 4 x 10(12) cm2. Three targets had gold nanoislets on the substrate surface: 2-12 nm; -18 nm; -35 nm, the most probable sizes being 7.1; 9.4; 17.5 nm respectively. The part of the surface area covered with gold was known. Total transfer of gold was determined by means of the neutron-activation analysis and decreased from 450 to 20 at/ion. The number of the ejected gold nanoclusters was determined using TEM and decreased from approximately 0.06 to < 0.01 per one 38 keV Au ion with the increase of the most probable sizes of the nanoislets on the target from 7.1 to 17.5 nm. The yields appeared to be surprisingly high, which is of scientific and practical importance. Tentative estimations were made using molecular dynamics simulations.

Finite-size effects in Fe-nanowire solid-solid phase transitions: a molecular dynamics approach

By means of classical molecular-dynamics simulations, we investigate solid-solid phase transitions in cylindrical iron nanowires. The interatomic potential employed has been shown to be capable of describing the martensite-austenite phase transition in iron. We investigate the dependence of the transition temperature on the wire diameter, the heating/cooling rate, and a tensile stress applied in axial direction. We observe that the phase transition temperature is inversely proportional to the wire diameter during heating and depends linearly on an applied axial tensile stress. The transition temperature becomes independent of the heating/cooling rate for the smallest rates investigated. The time the wire needs for completing the structural change is found to be independent of the diameter, the tensile loading, and the heating/cooling rate for the range of parameters considered. Finally, we find that there exists a maximum tensile stress above which the nanowire can no longer recover its initial structure after cooling.