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13. Isotope effect on hydrogen bond symmetrization in hydrogen and deuterium fluoride crystals by molecular dynamics simulation

H. Dammak, F. Brieuc, G. Geneste, M. Torrent, M. Hayoun, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 21 (2019) pp.3211-3217 Paper DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c8cp06949b

The isotope effect on the collective proton/deuteron transfer in hydrogen and deuterium fluoride crystals has been investigated at 100 K by ab initio quantum-thermal-bath path-integral molecular dynamics (QTB-PIMD) simulation. The deuterons within a planar zigzag chain of the orthorhombic structure simultaneously flip between covalent and hydrogen bonds due to the barrier crossing through tunnelling. The height of the corresponding static barrier normalized for one deuteron is 29.2 meV. In the HF crystal, all the protons are located at the center of the heavy-atom distance. This evidences the symmetrization of the H-bonds, and indicates that the proton zero-point energy is above the barrier top. The decrease of the heavy-atom distance due to quantum fluctuations in both HF and DF crystals corresponds to a large decrease and an increase of the hydrogen and covalent bond lengths, respectively. Upon deuteration, the increase of the heavy-atom distance (Ubbelohde effect) is in agreement with experimental data.

12. Nuclear quantum effects in molecular dynamics simulations

H. Dammak, M. Hayoun, F Brieuc, G. Geneste, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1136 (2018) 012014 Paper DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1136/1/012014

To take into account nuclear quantum effects on the dynamics of atoms, the path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) method used since 1980s is based on the formalism developed by R. P. Feynman. However, the huge computation time required for the PIMD reduces its range of applicability. Another drawback is the requirement of additional techniques to access time correlation functions (ring polymer MD or centroid MD). We developed an alternative technique based on a quantum thermal bath (QTB) which reduces the computation time by a factor of ~20. The QTB approach consists in a classical Langevin dynamics in which the white noise random force is replaced by a Gaussian random force having the power spectral density given by the quantum fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The method has yielded satisfactory results for weakly anharmonic systems: the quantum harmonic oscillator, the heat capacity of a MgO crystal, and isotope effects in 7LiH and 7LiD. Unfortunately, the QTB is subject to the problem of zero-point energy leakage (ZPEL) in highly anharmonic systems, which is inherent in the use of classical mechanics. Indeed, a part of the energy of the high-frequency modes is transferred to the low-frequency modes leading to a wrong energy distribution. We have shown that in order to reduce or even eliminate ZPEL, it is sufficient to increase the value of the frictional coefficient. Another way to solve the ZPEL problem is to combine the QTB and PIMD techniques. It requires the modification of the power spectral density of the random force within the QTB. This combination can also be seen as a way to speed up the PIMD.

11. Proton diffusion mechanisms in the double perovskite cathode material GdBaCo2O5.5: A molecular dynamics study

F. Brieuc, G. Dezanneau, M. Hayoun and H. Dammak, Solid State Ionics 309 (2017) pp 187–191 Paper DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssi.2017.07.017

GdBaCo2O5+x compounds have demonstrated to be very efficient cathode materials not only in solid oxide fuel cells but also in proton conducting fuel cells. In this last case, the excellent properties could be due to the presence of mixed electron-proton conduction. We study here the diffusion of the proton in this material using molecular dynamics simulations. Two different diffusion mechanisms are observed. The predominant mechanism is the standard proton transfer between two neighbouring oxygen atoms combined with the rotation of H around its first neighbour oxygen atom. The second mechanism consists in the migration of the OH group where both oxygen and hydrogen atoms diffuse together. Strong spatial correlations between successive proton jumps are evidenced. This is likely related to the presence of oxygen vacancies and to the concerted diffusion of hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

10. Zero-point Energy Leakage in Quantum Thermal Bath Molecular Dynamics Simulations:

F. Brieuc, Y. Bronstein, H. Dammak, P. Depondt, F. Finocchi and M. Hayoun, J. Chem. Theory Comput., 2016, 12 (12), pp 5688–5697 . Paper DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00684

The quantum thermal bath (QTB) has been presented as an alternative to path-integral-based methods to introduce nuclear quantum effects in molecular dynamics simulations. The method has proved to be efficient, yielding accurate results for various systems. However, the QTB method is prone to zero-point energy leakage (ZPEL) in highly anharmonic systems. This is a well-known problem in methods based on classical trajectories where part of the energy of the high-frequency modes is transferred to the low-frequency modes leading to a wrong energy distribution. In some cases, the ZPEL can have dramatic consequences on the properties of the system. Thus, we investigate the ZPEL by testing the QTB method on selected systems with increasing complexity in order to study the conditions and the parameters that influence the leakage. We also analyze the consequences of the ZPEL on the structural and vibrational properties of the system. We find that the leakage is particularly dependent on the damping coefficient and that increasing its value can reduce and, in some cases, completely remove the ZPEL. When using sufficiently high values for the damping coefficient, the expected energy distribution among the vibrational modes is ensured. In this case, the QTB method gives very encouraging results. In particular, the structural properties are well-reproduced. The dynamical properties should be regarded with caution although valuable information can still be extracted from the vibrational spectrum, even for large values of the damping term.

9. Quantum Thermal Bath for Path Integral Molecular Dynamics Simulation:

F. Brieuc, H. Dammak and M. Hayoun, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 12, (2016) 1351-1359 . Paper DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b01146

The quantum thermal bath (QTB) method has been recently developed to account for the quantum nature of the nuclei by using standard molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. QTB-MD is an efficient but approximate method when dealing with strongly anharmonic systems, while path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) gives exact results but in a huge amount of computation time. The QTB and PIMD methods have been combined in order to improve the PIMD convergence or correct the failures of the QTB-MD technique. Therefore, a new power spectral density of the random force within the QTB has been developed. A modified centroid-virial estimator of the kinetic energy, especially adapted to QTB-PIMD, has also been proposed. The method is applied to selected systems: a one-dimensional double-well system, a ferroelectric phase transition, and the position distribution of an hydrogen atom in a fuel cell material. The advantage of the QTB-PIMD method is its ability to give exact results with a more reasonable computation time for strongly anharmonic systems.

8.   Surface enhanced infrared absorption in dielectric thin films with ultra-strong confinement effects:

Y. Chalopin, M. Hayoun, S. Volz and H. Dammak, Applied Physics Letter, 104, (2014) 011905 . Paper DOI: 10.1063/1.4860989

By formulating a microscopic description of the non-local dielectric constant, we have investigated the mechanisms of infrared absorption in dielectrics thin films by molecular dynamics simulations. We found that light absorption in dielectric slabs does not occur predominantly at the polaritons resonances but through anomalous surface modes extremely confined in space. This demonstrates that any macroscopic description of electrodynamics in dielectrics breaks down at the nanoscale.

7.   Low-temperature anharmonicity of barium titanate: A path-integral molecular-dynamics study:

G. Geneste, H. Dammak, M. Hayoun, and M. Thiercelin, Physical Review B 87, (2013) 014113 (9pp) . Paper DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.014113

We investigate the influence of quantum effects on the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of barium titanate in its (low-temperature) rhombohedral phase, and show the strongly anharmonic character of this system even at low temperature. For this purpose, we perform path-integral molecular-dynamics simulations under fixed pressure and fixed temperature, using an efficient Langevin thermostat-barostat, and an effective Hamiltonian derived from first-principles calculations. The quantum fluctuations are shown to significantly enhance the static dielectric susceptibility (≈ by a factor of 2) and the piezoelectric constants, reflecting the strong anharmonicity of this ferroelectric system even at very low temperature. The slow temperature-evolution of the dielectric properties observed below ≈100 K is attributed (i) to zero-point energy contributions and (ii) to harmonic behavior if the quantum effects are turned off.

6.   Isotope effects in lithium hydride and lithium deuteride crystals by molecular dynamics simulations:

H. Dammak, E. Antoshchenkova, M. Hayoun and F. Finocchi, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 24 (2012) 435402 (6pp). Paper :doi:10.1088/0953-8984/24/43/435402

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out to study isotope effects in lithium hydride and lithium deuteride crystals. Quantum effects on nuclear motion have been included through a quantum thermal bath (QTB). The interatomic forces were described either within the density-functional theory (DFT) in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) or by the phenomenological approach using the shell model. For both models, the isotopic shift in the lattice parameter can be successfully predicted by QTB-MD simulations. The slope of the experimental isotopic shift in pressure is satisfactorily reproduced by QTB-MD within DFT-GGA, in contrast to both density-functional perturbation theory and QTB-MD with the shell model. We have analyzed the reasons of these discrepancies through the vibrational densities of states and the isotopic shifts in bulk modulus. The results illustrate the importance of anharmonic contributions to vibrations and to the isotopic pressure shift between LiH and LiD.

5.   Size dependent infrared properties of MgO nanoparticles with evidences of screening effect:

Y. Chalopin, H. Dammak, M. Hayoun, M. Besbes and J.J. Greffet, Applied Physics Letter, 100, (2012) 241904. Paper

We have investigated the infrared (IR) absorption properties of MgO nanoparticles (NPs) with the means of molecular dynamics simulations. Several size effects have been observed. We show in particular that the absorption of IR radiation does not occur predominantly through the polariton mode but preferentially through size dependent surface modes. This enhanced surface absorption is found to result from a screening effect of the first atomic layers of the NPs. We demonstrate concomitantly that a macroscopic description of electrodynamics is inadequate to capture these unusual IR properties.

4.   Radiative heat transfer from a black body to dielectric nanoparticles:

Y. Chalopin, H. Dammak, M. Laroche, M. Hayoun, and J.J. Greffet, Physical Review B 84, (2011) 224301. Paper

Heating of dielectric nanoparticles by black-body radiation is investigated by using molecular-dynamics simulation. The thermal interaction with the radiation is modeled by coupling the ions with a random electric field and including a radiation reaction force. This approach shows that the heat is absorbed by the polariton mode. Its subsequent redistribution among other vibration modes strongly depends on the particle size and on temperature. We observe energy trapping in a finite subset of vibrational modes and study the relaxation pathway of (MgO)4 by performing a selective excitation with a deterministic force.

3.   Comment on “Quantum thermal Bath for Molecular Dynamics simulations” Reply:

H. Dammak et al, Physical Review Letters 107, (2011) 198902. Paper

 The PIMD method can provide the exact position distribution even for anharmonic systems. This method is very time consuming and therefore the range of its applicability is reduced. The QTB-MD technique is an approximate approach that yields accurate results and saves at least 2 orders of magnitude of computation time compared to the PIMD method.

2.   Quantum Thermal Bath for Molecular Dynamics simulation:

H. Dammak et al, Physical Review Letters 103, (2009) 190601. paper

In this letter we propose a method to account for the quantum nature of a thermal bath (QTB) in standard classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We use a Langevin-type approach and introduce both a dissipative force and a random force having the power spectral density given by the quantum fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We apply the proposed method to compute the mean energy of a gas of HD molecules, the heat capacity of a MgO crystal and the self-diffusion coefficient of liquid Helium-4 at 2.5 K obtaining in all the cases, good agreement with experiments in contrast with standard MD. We think that the QTB method will significantly extend the domain of application of MD.

1.   Cation order-disorder in Pb(BII,BV)O3-related relaxors: The Random-Layer Model investigated by Monte Carlo Simulation:

H. Dammak and M. Hayoun, Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids . 66(10) (2005) 1838-1843 (6 pages). paper

The charge-balanced random-layer model for ordered lead-based perovskites Pb(BII1/3BV2/3)O3 was investigated by using the standard Metropolis Monte Carlo method on a rigid lattice with simple ionic model. Our results show that in the structure formula Pb[B’]1/2[B”]1/2O3, where all B”-sites are occupied by BV cations, chemical order of BII and BV cations does exist in B’-sites and the ordered structure has an hexagonal symmetry. An order-disorder transition as a function of temperature is evidenced by an abrupt variation of both the heat capacity and a long-range order parameter. Finally, the evolution of the short-range order parameter versus temperature shows that a local order remains in B’-sites contrary to the charge-balanced random-layer model that suggests that B’-sites are randomly occupied. This local order could be helpful to clarify some experimental results.

 

 

Hichem DAMMAK

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