Glass Formation of n-Butanol: Coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using Gay-Berne Potential Model

Using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations based on Gay-Berne potential model, we have simulated the cooling process of liquid n-butanol. A new set of GB parameters are obtained by fitting the results of density functional theory calculations. The simulations are carried out in the range of 290-50 K with temperature decrements of 10 K. The cooling char-acteristics are determined on the basis of the variations of the density, the potential energy and orientational order parameter with temperature, whose slopes all show discontinuity. Both the radial distribution function curves and the second-rank orientational correlationfunction curves exhibit splitting in the second peak. Using the discontinuous change of these thermodynamic and structure properties, we obtain the glass transition at an estimate of temperature T_g=120±10 K, which is in good agreement with experimental results 110±1 K.