An improved error bound for a finite element approximation of a model for phase separation of a multi-component alloy

Using the approach of Rulla (1996 SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 33, 68-87)for analysing the time discretization error and assuming moreregularity on the initial data, we improve on the error boundderived by Barrett and Blowey (1996 IMA J. Numer. Anal. 16,257-287) for a fully practical piecewise linear finite elementapproximation with a backward Euler time discretization of amodel for phase separation of a multi-component alloy.     

Chemisorption of O and O2 on Ag(110): An LCGTO-LSD cluster study

As part of a study aimed at better understanding of molecular and dissociative chemisorption of oxygen on Ag(110), linear combinations of Gaussian type orbitals-local spin density (LCGTO -LSD ) calculations have been performed for O, O^?, O₂, O^?₂, O^2?₂ and a variety of silver clusters interacting with O or O₂. For atomic O adsorption a very small cluster, Ag₄, chosen to model the long-bridge site already affords very good agreement with both recent EXAFS experiments and recent ab initio calculations. We calculate O to be 0.25 Å above the surface (exp. 0.2 Å). The Ag₄? O vibrational frequency is estimated to be 400 cm^?1, in reasonable accord with the experimental EELS value of 325 cm^?1. Determination of the geometry for O₂ (ads.) and, ultimately, of the dissociation path are far more difficult tasks. An extensive search for local minima in the vicinity of the LB site is being carried out. Results to date for small, Ag₂ and Ag₄, clusters have furnished insight into the factors influencing the structure. Overlap between the π* orbital of the O₂ moiety and Ag s functions is a key factor; that is, there is an important covalent component of the binding. For geometries with O₂ parallel to the surface, this is achieved by twisting the O₂ fragment with respect to the [11¯0] grooves (geometries either parallel or perpendicular to the grooves yield zero π‖*?s overlap by symmetry). The structure with O₂ perpendicular to the surface also achieves reasonable overlap and lies close in energy to the most stable ‘parallel’ geometry.     

Modeling viscoelastic properties of triblock copolymers: A DPD simulation study

Gel systems based on self‐assembled, amphiphilic ABA triblock copolymers in midblock‐selective solvent form stable, spatially extended networks with controllable morphology and tunable viscoelastic behavior. In this work, we systematically evaluate the mechanical properties of these gels using morphology calculations, and a nonequilibrium oscillatory shear technique based on the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. Our simulations demonstrate that low molecular weight triblock copolymers with incompatible blocks self‐assemble into micelles connected with bridges and loop‐like chains comprised of the solvent‐selective polymer midblocks. The fraction of bridges, ?_b, generally increases with increasing relative volume of the midblock, x, defined as the ratio of midblock and endblock volumes ( ). For our model, ?_b reaches a plateau at approximately x > 9 for a strongly selective solvent. At this limit, the value of ?_b increases from 0.40 to about 0.66 as the copolymer concentration, c, increases from 0.2 to 0.5; however, this increase is less significant at higher concentrations. The elastic response of the gel studied here is comparable with the Rouse modulus. The elastic modulus increases with polymer concentration, and it exhibits a broad peak within 6 < x < 12. Finally, we present an approximate method to predict the elastic modulus of unentangled ABA triblock copolymers based solely on the morphology of the micellar gel, which can be gleaned from equilibrium DPD simulations. We demonstrate that our simulation results are in good qualitative agreement with other theoretical predictions and experimental data. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 15–25, 2010     

A density functional study of the glycine molecule: Comparison with post-Hartree–Fock calculations and experiment

The potential energy surface of un-ionized glycine has been explored with density functional theory. The performance of several nonlocal functionals has been evaluated and the results are presented in the context of available experimental information and post-Hartree–Fock quantum chemical results. The zero-point and thermal vibrational energies along with vibrational entropies play a very important role in determining the relative stability of glycine conformers; the realization of this has led to some revision and reinterpretation of the experimental results. Uncertainties in the vibrational contributions to the energy differences of several tenths of a kilocalorie/mole remain. The uncertainty in the vibrational free energy is even larger, about 1 kcal/mol. In the final analysis, we suggest that the best estimate of the electronic energy difference between the two lowest glycine conformers should be revised downward from 1.4 to 1.0 kcal/mol. Thirteen stationary points on the potential energy surface have been localized. For the majority of these, there is close agreement among various nonlocal density functionals and the post-Hartree–Fock methods. However, the second conformer (IIn), which has a strong hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl hydrogen and the nitrogen of the amine group, presents a distinct challenge. The relative energy of this conformer is extremely sensitive to the basis set, the level of correlation, or the functional used. The widely used BP86, PP86, and BP91 nonlocal functionals overestimate the strength of the hydrogen bond and predict that this conformer is the lowest energy structure. This contradicts both experiment and high-level post-Hartree–Fock studies. The adiabatic connection method (ACM) and the BLYP functional yield the correct order. The ACM method, in particular, gives energies which are in reasonable agreement with MP2, although these are somewhat low as compared with experiment. Based on this study, ACM should perform well for this type of bioorganic application, with typical errors of a few tenths of a kilocalorie/mole and only rarely exceeding 0.5 kcal/mol. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18 : 1609–1631, 1997