Insight into lattice thermal impedance via equilibrium molecular dynamics: case study on Al

Using results of equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation in conjunction with the Green–Kubo formalism, we present a general treatment of thermal impedance of a crystal lattice with a monatomic unit cell. The treatment is based on an analytical expression for the heat current autocorrelation function which reveals, in a monatomic lattice, an energy gap between the origin of the phonon states and the beginning of the energy spectrum of the so-called acoustic short-range phonon modes. Although, we consider here the f.c.c. Al model as a case example, the analytical expression is shown to be consistent for different models of elemental f.c.c. crystals over a wide temperature range. Furthermore, we predict a frequency ‘window’ where the thermal waves can be generated in a monatomic lattice by an external periodic temperature perturbation.     

Phonon-mediated heat dissipation in a monatomic lattice: case study on Ni

The recently introduced analytical model for the heat current autocorrelation function of a crystal with a monatomic lattice [Evteev et al., Phil. Mag. 94 (2014) p. 731 and 94 (2014) p. 3992] is employed in conjunction with the Green–Kubo formalism to investigate in detail the results of an equilibrium molecular dynamics calculations of the temperature dependence of the lattice thermal conductivity and phonon dynamics in f.c.c. Ni. Only the contribution to the lattice thermal conductivity determined by the phonon–phonon scattering processes is considered, while the contribution due to phonon–electron scattering processes is intentionally ignored. Nonetheless, during comparison of our data with experiment an estimation of the second contribution is made. Furthermore, by comparing the results obtained for f.c.c. Ni model to those for other models of elemental crystals with the f.c.c. lattice, we give an estimation of the scaling relations of the lattice thermal conductivity with other lattice properties such as the coefficient of thermal expansion and the bulk modulus. Moreover, within the framework of linear response theory and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, we extend our analysis in this paper into the frequency domain to predict the power spectra of equilibrium fluctuations associated with the phonon-mediated heat dissipation in a monatomic lattice. The practical importance of the analytical treatment lies in the fact that it has the potential to be used in the future to efficiently decode the generic information on the lattice thermal conductivity and phonon dynamics from a power spectrum of the acoustic excitations in a monatomic crystal measured by a spectroscopic technique in the frequency range of about 1–20 THz.     

Decomposition model for phonon thermal conductivity of a monatomic lattice

An analytical treatment of decomposition of the phonon thermal conductivity of a crystal with a monatomic unit cell is developed on the basis of a two-stage decay of the heat current autocorrelation function observed in molecular dynamics simulations. It is demonstrated that the contributions from the acoustic short- and long-range phonon modes to the total phonon thermal conductivity can be presented in the form of simple kinetic formulas, consisting of products of the heat capacity and the average relaxation time of the considered phonon modes as well as the square of the average phonon velocity. On the basis of molecular dynamics calculations of the heat current autocorrelation function, this treatment allows for a self-consistent numerical evaluation of the aforementioned variables. In addition, the presented analysis allows, within the Debye approximation, for the identification of the temperature range where classical molecular dynamics simulations can be employed for the prediction of phonon thermal transport properties. As a case example, Cu is considered.     

Two-fluid nature of phonon heat conduction in a monatomic lattice

The thermal resistance of a crystal lattice with a monatomic unit cell due to three-phonon scattering processes is investigated in detail theoretically. A general expression for the lattice thermal conductivity is derived from a combined analysis based on: (i) the Boltzmann equation and (ii) data on the heat current autocorrelation function obtained via molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with the Green–Kubo formalism. It is argued that the phonon gas in a monatomic lattice conducts heat as if it consisted of two distinct parts (two ‘thermal fluids’), so that the lattice thermal conductivity can be decomposed into contributions from these two parts. The origin of the behaviour of the phonon gas, which is explored in the present work, is due to an intrinsic interplay between Umklapp and normal three-phonon scattering processes. New insight into the nature of the lattice thermal conductivity is demonstrated and the results of the present work are in agreement with previous studies in this area.     

Temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of water: a molecular dynamics simulation study using the SPC/E model

In this study, molecular dynamics simulations of SPC/E (extended simple point charge) water model have been carried out in the canonical (NVT fixed) ensemble over the range of temperatures 300–550 K with Ewald summation. The evaluated thermal conductivity for SPC/E water overestimates the experimental data at 300–550 K. In accordance with experimental data, SPC/E predicts a maximum in the thermal conductivity at 400 K. The temperature dependence of thermal conductivity of SPC/E water was discussed.     

Effect of electrostatics techniques on the estimation of thermal conductivity via equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation: application to methane hydrate

Equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for three system sizes of fully occupied methane hydrate have been performed at around 265 K to estimate the thermal conductivity using the Ewald, Lekner, reaction field, shifted-force and undamped Fennell–Gezelter methods. The TIP4P water model was used in conjunction with a fully atomistic methane potential with which it had been parameterized from quantum simulation. The thermal conductivity was evaluated by integration of the heat flux autocorrelation function (ACF) derived from the Green–Kubo formalism; this approach vas validated by estimation of the average phonon mean free path. The thermal conductivities predicted by non-periodic techniques were in reasonable agreement with the experimental results of 0.62 and 0.68 W/m K, although it was found that the estimates by the non-periodic techniques were up to 25% larger than those of Lekner and Ewald estimates, particularly for larger systems. The results for the Lekner method exhibited the least variation with respect to system size. A decomposition of the heat flux vector into its respective contributions revealed the importance of electrostatic interactions, and how different electrostatic treatments affect the contribution to the thermal conductivity.     

Influence of the interatomic potential on thermotransport in binary liquid alloys: case study on NiAl

Equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation in conjunction with the Green-Kubo formalism is employed to study the transport properties of a model Ni₅₀Al₅₀ melt with the embedded-atom method potential developed in [G.P. Purja Pun, Y. Mishin, Phil. Mag., 2009, 89, 3245]. The principal objective of the work is to quantitatively characterise and analyse thermotransport in the system, i.e. diffusion driven by a temperature gradient. In addition, direct phenomenological coefficients for mass and thermal transport are also evaluated and analysed in the process. Furthermore, the results obtained are compared with previously published data for a different model of Ni₅₀Al₅₀ melt with an alternative embedded-atom method potential for the alloy as well as with experiment where possible. It is found that both potentials are able to consistently predict both direct transport coefficients over a wide temperature range. However, these two potentials are found to be inconsistent in characterising the cross-coupled heat and mass transport, predicting even different directions (sign) of the heat of thermotransport. The origin of this difference is discussed in the paper in detail.     

Molecular dynamics studies on the thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotubes

We have studied the thermal conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using the NEMD method. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity values are not profoundly influenced by the specific simulation-technique used in the MD simulations. Some possible reasons, which could be responsible for the discrepancy on thermal conductivity values of SWCNTs in the literatures, are discussed.      

碳化硅中点缺陷对热传导性能影响的分子动力学研究

碳化硅(SiC)由于性能优异,已广泛应用于核技术领域.在辐照环境下,载能入射粒子可使材料中的原子偏离晶体格点位置,进而产生过饱和的空位、间隙原子、错位原子等点缺陷,这些缺陷将改变材料的热物性能,劣化材料的服役性能.因此,本文利用平衡分子动力学方法(Green-Kubo方法)采用Tersoff型势函数研究了点缺陷对立方碳化硅(β-SiC或3C-SiC)热传导性能的影响规律.研究过程中考虑的点缺陷包括:Si间隙原子(Si_Ⅰ)、Si空位(Si_Ⅴ)、Si错位原子(Si_C)、C间隙原子(C_Ⅰ)、C空位(C_Ⅴ)和C错位原子(C_Si).研究结果表明,热导率(λ)随点缺陷浓度(c)的增加而减小.在研究的点缺陷浓度范围(点缺陷与格点的比例范围为0.2%—1.6%),额外热阻率(Δ_R-R_defect-R_perfect,R=1/λ,R_defect为含缺陷材料的热阻率,R_perfec...     

Molecular dynamics study for the thermal conductivity of diatomic liquid

The thermal conductivity of diatomic liquids was analyzed using a nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) method. Five liquids, namely, O₂, CO, CS₂, Cl₂ and Br₂, were assumed. The two-center Lennard-Jones (2CLJ) model was used to express the intermolecular potential acting on liquid molecules. First, the equation of state of each liquid was obtained using MD simulation, and the critical temperature, density and pressure of each liquid were determined. Heat conduction of each liquid at various liquid states [metastable (ρ=1.9ρ_cr), saturated (ρ=2.1ρ_cr), and stable (ρ=2.3ρ_cr)] at T=0.7T_cr was simulated and the thermal conductivity was estimated. These values were compared with experimental results and it was confirmed that the simulated results were consistent with the experimental data within 10%. Obtained thermal conductivities at saturated state were reduced by the critical temperature, density and mass of molecules and these values were compared with each other. It was found that the reduced thermal conductivity increased with the increase in the molecular elongation. Detailed analysis of the molecular contribution to the thermal conductivity revealed that the contribution of the heat flux caused by energy transport and by translational energy transfer to the thermal conductivity is independent of the molecular elongation while the contribution of the heat flux caused by rotational energy transfer to the thermal conductivity increases with the increase in the molecular elongation. Moreover, by comparing the reduced thermal conductivity at various states, it was found that the increase of thermal conductivity with the increase in the density, or pressure, was caused by the increase of the contribution of energy transfer due to molecular interaction.     

熔体初始温度对液态金属Ni凝固过程中微观结构演变影响的模拟研究

采用量子 Sutton-Chen多体势, 对熔体初始温度热历史条件对液态金属Ni快速凝固过程中微观结构演变的影响进行了分子动力学模拟研究. 采用双体分布函数g(r)曲线、键型指数法、原子团类型指数法和三维可视化等分析方法对凝固过程中微观结构的演变进行了分析. 结果表明: 熔体初始温度对凝固微结构有显著影响, 但在液态和过冷态时的影响并不明显, 只有在结晶转变温度T_c附近才开始充分显现出来. 体系在1×10¹² K/s的冷速下, 最终均形成以1421和1422键型或面心立方(12 0 0 0 12 0)与六角密集(12 0 0 0 6 6) 基本原子团为主的晶态结构. 末态时, 不同初始温度体系中的主要键型和团簇的数目有很大的变化范围, 且与熔体初始温度的高低呈非线性变化关系. 然而, 体系能量随初始温度呈线性变化关系, 初始温度越高, 末态能量越低, 其晶化程度越高. 通过三维可视化分析进一步发现, 在初始温度较高的体系中, 同类团簇结构的原子出现明显的分层聚集现象, 随着初始温度的下降, 这种分层现象将被弥散开去. 可视化分析将更有助于对凝固过程中微观结构演变进行更为深入的研究. 关键词： 液态金属Ni 熔体初始温度 微观结构 分子动力学模拟     

温度对有机物传热影响的分子动力学模拟及微观机理研究

热导率是表征物质导热性能的一个重要物性参数.通过分子模拟从微观角度揭示有机物分子液体导热机理并计算热导率具有重要的理论意义和应用价值.通过非平衡态分子动力学模拟方法,分别模拟了庚烷、己醛、2-己酮和己醇在263～363 K的热传导过程并得到了热导率.4种有机物在263～363 K下热导率的计算值与实验值的相对平均偏差分别小于5.40%,5.46%,4.29%和7.80%,表明模拟结果与实验结果基本一致.热流分解和原子热路径的结果表明,对总热流有显著贡献的库仑相互作用项、范德华相互作用项和扭转角项都随着温度的升高而减小,这使得4种有机物的热导率随着温度的升高而降低.同时研究表明温度的升高增大了分子的原子振动,加速了分子运动,降低了模拟体系的质量密度.本文为温度对液体热传导影响提供了微观解释和理论依据.     

Enhancing thermal transport in multilayer structures: A molecular dynamics study on Lennard−Jones solids

We investigate the thermal transport properties of three kinds of multilayer structures: a perfect superlattice (SL) structure, a quasi-periodic multilayer structure consisted of two superlattice (2SL) structures with different periods, and a random multilayer (RML) structure. Our simulation results show that there exists a large number of aperiodic multilayer structures that have effective thermal conductivity higher than that of the SL counterpart, showing enhancement ratio in the effective thermal conductivity up to 193%. Surprisingly, some RML structures also exhibit enhanced thermal transport than the SL counterpart even in the presence of phonon localization. The detailed analysis on the underlying mechanism reveals that such peculiar enhancement is caused by the synergistic effect of coherent and incoherent phonon transport, which can be tuned by the structural configuration. Combined with molecular dynamics simulations and the machine learning technique, we further reveal that the enhancement effect of the effective thermal conductivity by 2SL structure is more significant when the period of SL structure is close to the critical transition period between the coherent and incoherent phonon transport regimes. Our study proposes a novel strategy to enhance the thermal transport in multilayer structures by regulating the wave-particle duality of phonons via the structure optimization, which might provide valuable insights to the thermal management in devices with densely packed interfaces.     

辐照损伤对钨晶格热导率影响的分子动力学研究

钨是最具应用前景的面向等离子体候选材料,但核聚变堆内强烈的辐照环境会使钨的近表面区域产生辐照损伤,进而影响其关键的导热性能.本文构建了包含辐照损伤相关缺陷的晶体钨模型,并采用非平衡分子动力学的方法定量研究了这些缺陷对钨导热性能的影响.结果表明,随中子辐射能量的增加,晶体内部留下的Frenkel缺陷数目增多进而导致钨的晶格热导率降低;间隙原子比空位更易于向晶界偏聚,且钨中的间隙钨原子与空位相比,使晶格热导率下降程度更大.纳米级氦气泡导致晶格热导率的显著降低,气孔率为2.1%时晶格热导率降至完美晶体的约25%.这些不同的缺陷造成不同程度的周围晶格扭曲,增加了声子散射几率,是导致晶格热导率下降的根源.     

不同硼掺杂几何形态下石墨烯纳米带热导率与热整流的分子动力学研究

通过非平衡态分子动力学方法,研究了锯齿形石墨烯纳米带中掺杂原子硼的两种不同位置排列（三角形硼掺杂和平行硼掺杂）对热导率和热整流的影响并从理论上分析了其变化的原因。研究表明这两种硼掺杂模型在不同温度下导致石墨烯纳米带热导率大约54％－63％的下降;同时发现平行硼掺杂结构对热传递的抑制作用强于三角形硼掺杂结构;硼掺杂结构降低热导率的作用随着温度的升高逐渐减小;三角形硼掺杂结构两个方向上的热导率值具有较大差异,这种结构下的热整流随着温度的上升呈现减弱的趋势;而平行硼掺杂结构两个方向上的热导率值近乎相等,热整流现象表现不明显。     

不同硼掺杂几何形态下石墨烯纳米带热导率与热整流的分子动力学研究

通过非平衡态分子动力学方法,研究了锯齿形石墨烯纳米带中掺杂原子硼的两种不同位置排列（三角形硼掺杂和平行硼掺杂）对热导率和热整流的影响并从理论上分析了其变化的原因。研究表明这两种硼掺杂模型在不同温度下导致石墨烯纳米带热导率大约54%-63%的下降;同时发现平行硼掺杂结构对热传递的抑制作用强于三角形硼掺杂结构;硼掺杂结构降低热导率的作用随着温度的升高逐渐减小;三角形硼掺杂结构两个方向上的热导率值具有较大差异,这种结构下的热整流随着温度的上升呈现减弱的趋势;而平行硼掺杂结构两个方向上的热导率值近乎相等,热整流现象表现不明显.     

TiAl/Ti3Al体系剪切变形的分子动力学研究

利用分子动力学方法研究了正化学比的TiAl/Ti3Al双相体系中剪切变形诱发位错形核以及相关结构转变的动态过程以及切变力场对最终结构的影响.研究发现,在TiAl/Ti3Al双相体系中剪切变形诱发黏滞-滑移式的滑移行为;界面在其中起到了传递能量、均衡协变的作用,界面两侧的异相结构保留了单相形变特征.六角密堆积(HCP)-Ti3Al部分各原子层较长时间内呈整体剪切协变,其后形变分化为应力集中诱发层错区和初始完整结构回复区;而面心立方(FCC)-TiAl部分因刚性较大仅存在微协变,其后局部受力区直接诱发相邻原子层间相对滑移,发生FCC向HCP结构转变.变形结构方面,HCP-Ti3Al部分在剪切力较大区域形成连续且稳定的FCC堆垛,近界面区FCC薄层与HCP相交替并存;而FCC-TiAl部分内禀层错和孪晶共存,当力场增大时形成亚稳HCP结构.     

The structure,dynamics and solvation mechanisms of ions in water from long time molecular dynamics simulations: a case study of CaCl2 (aq) aqueous solutions

Systematic long time (5–20 ns) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out to study the structural and dynamical properties of CaCl₂ aqueous solutions over a wide range of concentrations (≤9.26 m) in this study. Our simulations reveal totally different structural characteristics of those yielded from short time (≤1 ns) MD simulations [A.A. Chialvo and J.M. Simonson, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 8052 (2003); T. Megyes, I. Bako, S. Balint, T. Grosz, and T. Radnai, J. Mol. Liq. 129, 63 (2006)]. An apparent discontinuity was found at 4–5 m of CaCl₂ in various properties including ion–water coordination number and self-diffusion coefficient of ions, which were first noticed by Phutela and Pitzer in their thermodynamic modelling [R.C. Phutela and K.S. Pitzer, J. Sol. Chem. 12, 201 (1983)]. In this study, residence time was first taken into consideration in the study of Ca²⁺–Cl^? ion pairing, and it was found that contact ion pair and solvent-sharing ion pair start to form at the CaCl₂(aq) concentrations of about 4.5 and 4 m, respectively, which may be responsible for the apparent discontinuity. In addition, the residence time of water molecules around Ca²⁺ or Cl^? showed that the hydration structures of Ca²⁺ and Cl^? are flexible with short residence time (<1 ns). It needs to be pointed out that it takes much longer simulation time for the CaCl₂–H₂O system to reach equilibrium than what was assumed in previous studies.