Optimized utilization of COMB3 reactive potentials in LAMMPS

Robert Slapikas, Ismaila Dabo, Susan B. Sinnott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

An investigation to optimize the application of the third-generation charge optimized many-body (COMB3) interatomic potential and associated input parameters was carried out through the study of solid-liquid interactions in classical molecular dynamics simulations. The rates of these molecular interactions are understood through the wetting rates of water nano-droplets on a bare copper (111) surface. Implementing the Langevin thermostat, the influence of simulation time step, the number of atoms in the system, the frequency at which charge equilibration is performed, and the temperature relaxation rate are all examined. The results indicate that time steps of 0.4 fs are possible when using longer relaxation times for the system temperature, which is almost double the typical time step used for reactive potentials. The use of the charge equilibration allows for a fewer atomic layers to be used in the Cu slab. In addition, charge equilibrium schemes do not need to be performed every time step to ensure accurate charge transfer. Interestingly, the rate of wetting for the nanodroplets is dominantly dependent on the temperature relaxation time, which is predicted to significantly change the viscosity of the water droplets. This work provides a pathway for optimizing simulations using the COMB3 reactive interatomic potential.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)224702
Number of pages1
JournalThe Journal of chemical physics
Volume152
Issue number22
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 14 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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