Related papers: Bending Deformation Driven by Molecular Rotation
Topological defects are one of the most conspicuous features of liquid crystals. In two dimensional nematics, they have been shown to behave effectively as particles with both, charge and orientation, which dictate their interactions. Here,…
Collisions between amorphous Fe nanoparticles were studied using molecular-dynamics simulation. For head-on collisions of nanoparticles with radii $R =$ 1.4 nm, $R =$ 5.2 nm, and $R =$ 11 nm, sticking was observed at all simulated…
We propose a dynamical theory of low-temperature shear deformation in amorphous solids. Our analysis is based on molecular-dynamics simulations of a two-dimensional, two-component noncrystalline system. These numerical simulations reveal…
While the mechanical behavior of noble nanoporous metals has been the subject of numerous studies, less is known about their recently developed refractory-based counterparts. Here we report on the mechanical properties, deformation…
Amongst the various fascinating types of material behavior featured by magnetic gels and elastomers are magnetostrictive effects. That is, deformations in shape or changes in volume are induced from outside by external magnetic fields.…
The dynamics of non-polar diatomic molecules interacting with a far-detuned narrow-band laser field, that only may drive rotational transitions, is studied. The rotation of the molecule is considered both classically and quantum…
Through millennia humans exploited the natural property of metals to get stronger or hardened when mechanically deformed. Ultimately rooted in the motion of dislocations, mechanisms of metal hardening remained in the crosshairs of physical…
Rolling lubrication with spherical molecules working as 'nanobearings' has failed experimentally so far, without a full understanding of the physics involved and of the reasons why. Past model simulations and common sense have shown that…
Atomistic deformation simulations in the nominally elastic regime are performed for a model binary glass with strain rates as low as $10^{4}$/sec (corresponding to 0.01 shear strain per 1$\mu$sec). A robust elasticity is revealed that…
Nematic elastomers are programmable soft materials that display large, reversible and predictable deformation under an external stimulus such as a change in temperature or light. While much of the work in the field has focused on actuation…
Circular orbits of a particle sliding on a frictionless surface of revolution about a vertical axis are unstable below a critical radius if the curvature of the surface satisfies a specified condition. This behavior can be realized in a…
A wide range of materials can exist in microscopically disordered solid forms, referred to as amorphous solids or glasses. Such materials -- oxide glasses and metallic glasses, to polymer glasses, and soft solids such as colloidal glasses,…
We study the dynamics of the contact between a pair of surfaces (with properties designed to mimic ruthenium) via molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, we study the contact between a ruthenium surface with a single nanoasperity and…
Elucidating mechanical deformation in glassy materials at the atomic level is challenging due to their disordered atomic structure. Using our novel "frozen atom analysis," we reveal that anelastic deformation in CuZr metallic glasses is…
We study the nucleation dynamics of a model solid state transformation and the criterion for microstructure selection using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Our simulations show a range of microstructures depending on the depth of…
External stress can accelerate molecular mobility of amorphous solids by several orders of magnitude. The changes in mobility are commonly interpreted through the Eyring model, which invokes an empirical activation volume whose origin…
Plastic deformations in crystals often produce textures in the form of randomly oriented patches of the unstressed lattice. We use a novel mesoscopic Landau-type model of crystal plasticity to show that in such textures large…
Solid-state cooling using barocaloric materials is a promising avenue for eco-friendly, inexpensive and highly efficient cooling. To design barocaloric compounds ready for deployment, it is essential to understand their thermodynamic…
We performed molecular dynamics (MD) experiments to explore dry sliding friction at the nanoscale. We used the setup comprised of a spherical particle built up of 32,000 aluminium atoms, resting on a semi-space with a free surface, modelled…
Crystal plasticity is mediated through dislocations, which form knotted configurations in a complex energy landscape. Once they disentangle and move, they may also be impeded by permanent obstacles with finite energy barriers or frustrating…