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Shock-induced plasticity and structural changes in energetic molecular crystals are well documented. These processes couple with the leading shock wave and affect its propagation, resulting in long, transient responses that are challenging to capture with all-atom simulations due to their time scale. Hence, the effects of this coupling and the transient shock response on the formation of hotspots and the initiation of chemistry remain unclear. To address these challenges, we investigate the role of shock-induced plastic deformation on shock initiation with a recently developed particle-based, coarse-grain model for 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) that utilizes the generalized dissipative particle dynamics with reactions framework. This model enables reactive simulations at micron length scales, which are required to achieve steady-state shock propagation. The simulations show that the shock Hugoniot response of RDX can involve transient behavior for up to 150 ps before steady-state behavior is achieved for shock strengths above the elastic limit. Pore collapse simulations demonstrate that the intensity of the resulting hotspot will weaken as the shock transitions from transient to steady-state behavior, ultimately affecting the shock-to-deflagration transition. Our results highlight the importance of considering the mesoscopic effects of shock-induced plastic deformation in simulations of shock-to-deflagration transitions of high explosives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete description of energy and material transport within the Generalized energy-conserving dissipative particle dynamics with mass transfer (GenDPDE-M) methodology is presented. In particular, the dynamic coupling between mass and energy is incorporated into the GenDPDE-M, which was previously introduced with dynamically decoupled fluxes (J. Bonet Avalos et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput., 18 (12): 7639–7652, 2022). From a theoretical perspective, we have derived the appropriate Fluctuation-Dissipation theorems along with Onsager's reciprocal relations, suitable for mesoscale models featuring this coupling. Equilibrium and non-equilibrium simulations are performed to demonstrate the internal thermodynamic consistency of the method, as well as the ability to capture the Ludwig–Soret effect, and tune its strength through the mesoscopic parameters. In view of the completeness of the presented approach, GenDPDE-M is the most general Lagrangian method to deal with complex fluids and systems at the mesoscale, where thermal agitation is relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive models for the thermal, chemical, and mechanical response of high explosives at extreme conditions are important for investigating their performance and safety. We introduce a particle-based, reactive model of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) with molecular resolution utilizing generalized energy-conserving dissipative particle dynamics with reactions. The model is parameterized with respect to the data from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations as well as from quantum mechanical calculations, thus bridging atomic processes to the mesoscales, including microstructures and defects. It accurately captures the response of RDX under a range of thermal loading conditions compared to atomistic simulations. In addition, the Hugoniot response of the CG model in the overdriven regime reasonably matches atomistic simulations and experiments. Exploiting the model's high computational efficiency, we investigate mesoscale systems involving millions of molecules and characterize size-dependent criticality of hotspots in RDX. The combination of accuracy and computational efficiency of our reactive model provides a tool for investigation of mesoscale phenomena, such as the role of microstructures and defects in the shock-to-deflagration transition, through particle-based simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a general, flexible framework for a constant-energy variant of the dissipative particle dynamics method that allows chemical reactions (DPD-RX). In our DPD-RX approach, reaction progress variables are assigned to each particle that monitor the time evolution of an extent-of-reaction associated with the prescribed reaction mechanisms and kinetics assumed to occur within the particle, where chemistry can be modeled using complex or reduced reaction mechanisms. We demonstrate our DPD-RX method by considering thermally initiated unimolecular decomposition of the energetic material, cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), into a molecular gas mixture. Studies are performed to demonstrate the effect of a spatially averaged particle internal temperature and a local reaction volume term in the chemical kinetics expressions, where both provide implicit mechanisms for capturing condensed phase reactivity. We also present an analysis of the expansion of the product gas mixture during decomposition. Finally, a discussion of other potential applications and extensions of the DPD-RX method is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the development of a density-dependent transferable coarse-grain model of crystalline hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine (RDX) that can be used with the energy conserving dissipative particle dynamics method. The model is an extension of a recently reported one-site model of RDX that was developed by using a force-matching method. The density-dependent forces in that original model are provided through an interpolation scheme that poorly conserves energy. The development of the new model presented in this work first involved a multi-objective procedure to improve the structural and thermodynamic properties of the previous model, followed by the inclusion of the density dependency via a conservative form of the force field that conserves energy. The new model accurately predicts the density, structure, pressure-volume isotherm, bulk modulus, and elastic constants of the RDX crystal at ambient pressure and exhibits transferability to a liquid phase at melt conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale gas, which predominantly consists of methane, is an important unconventional energy resource that has had a potential game‐changing effect on natural gas supplies worldwide in recent years. Shale is comprised of two distinct components: organic material and clay minerals, the former providing storage for hydrocarbons and the latter minimizing hydrocarbon transport. The injection of carbon dioxide in the exchange of methane within shale formations improves the shale gas recovery, and simultaneously sequesters carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the properties of fluids such as methane and methane/carbon dioxide mixtures in narrow pores found within shale formations is critical for identifying ways to deploy shale gas technology with reduced environmental impact. In this work, we apply molecular‐level simulations to explore adsorption and diffusion behavior of methane, as a proxy of shale gas, and methane/carbon dioxide mixtures in realistic models of organic materials. We first use molecular dynamics simulations to generate the porous structures of mature and overmature type‐II organic matter with both micro‐ and mesoporosity, and systematically characterize the resulting dual‐porosity organic‐matter structures. We then employ the grand canonical Monte Carlo technique to study the adsorption of methane and the competing adsorption of methane/carbon dioxide mixtures in the organic‐matter porous structures. We complement the adsorption studies by simulating the diffusion of adsorbed methane, and adsorbed methane/carbon dioxide mixtures in the organic‐matter structures using molecular dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new capabilities for investigation of microstructure in energetic material response for both explicit large‐scale and multiscale simulations. We demonstrate the computational capabilities by studying the effect of porosity on the reactive shock response of a coarse‐grain (CG) model of the energetic material cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX), the non‐reactive equation of state for a porous representative volume element (RVE) of CG RDX, and utilization of available supercomputing resources for speculative sampling to accelerate hierarchical multiscale simulations. Small amounts of porosity (up to 4 %) are shown to have significant effect on the initiation of reactive CG RDX using large‐scale reactive dissipative particle dynamics simulations. Non‐reactive RVEs are shown to undergo a porosity‐dependent pore collapse at hydrostatic conditions, and an existing automation framework is shown to be easily modified for the incorporation of microstructure while retaining reliable convergence properties. A novel predictive sampling method based on use of kernel density estimators is shown to effectively accelerate time‐to‐solution in a multiscale simulation, scaling with free CPU cores, while making no assumptions about the underlying physics for the data being analyzed. These multidisciplinary studies of distinct yet connected problems combine to provide methodological insights for high‐fidelity modeling of reactive systems with microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical integration schemes based upon the Shardlow-splitting algorithm (SSA) are presented for dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) approaches at various fixed conditions, including a constant-enthalpy (DPD-H) method that is developed by combining the equations-of-motion for a barostat with the equations-of-motion for the constant-energy (DPD-E) method. The DPD-H variant is developed for both a deterministic (Hoover) and stochastic (Langevin) barostat, where a barostat temperature is defined to satisfy the fluctuation-dissipation theorem for the Langevin barostat. For each variant, the Shardlow-splitting algorithm is formulated for both a velocity-Verlet scheme and an implicit scheme, where the velocity-Verlet scheme consistently performed better. The application of the Shardlow-splitting algorithm is particularly critical for the DPD-E and DPD-H variants, since it allows more temporally practical simulations to be carried out. The equivalence of the DPD variants is verified using both a standard DPD fluid model and a coarse-grain solid model. For both models, the DPD-E and DPD-H variants are further verified by instantaneously heating a slab of particles in the simulation cell, and subsequent monitoring of the evolution of the corresponding thermodynamic variables as the system approaches an equilibrated state while maintaining their respective constant-energy and constant-enthalpy conditions. The original SSA formulated for systems of equal-mass particles has been extended to systems of unequal-mass particles. The Fokker-Planck equation and derivations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem for each DPD variant are also included for completeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an alternative formulation of the reaction ensemble dissipative particle dynamics (RxDPD) method [M. Lísal, J. K. Brennan, and W. R. Smith, J. Chem. Phys. 125, 16490 (2006)], a mesoscale simulation technique for studying polymer systems in reaction equilibrium. The RxDPD method combines elements of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) and reaction ensemble Monte Carlo (RxMC), and is primarily targeted for the prediction of the system composition, thermodynamic properties, and phase behavior of reaction equilibrium polymer systems. The alternative formulation of the RxDPD method is demonstrated by considering a supramolecular diblock copolymer (SDC) melt in which two homopolymers, An and Bm, can reversibly bond at terminal binding sites to form a diblock copolymer, AnBm. We consider the effect of the terminal binding sites and the chemical incompatibility between A- and B-segments on the phase behavior. Both effects are found to strongly influence the resulting phase behavior. Due to the reversible nature of the binding, the SDC melt can be treated as the reaction equilibrium system An+Bm≤=≥AnBm. To simulate the An+Bm≤=≥AnBm melt, the system contains, in addition to full An, Bm, and AnBm polymers, two fractional polymers: one fractional polymer either fAn or fBm, and one fractional polymer fAnBm, which have fractional particles at the ends of the polymer chains. These fractional particles are coupled to the system via a coupling parameter. The time evolution of the system is governed by the DPD equations of motion, accompanied by random changes in the coupling parameter. Random changes in the coupling parameter mimic forward and reverse reaction steps as in the RxMC approach, and they are accepted with a probability derived from... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a mesoscale simulation technique, called the reaction ensemble dissipative particle dynamics (RxDPD) method, for studying reaction equilibrium of polymer systems. The RxDPD method combines elements of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) and reaction ensemble Monte Carlo (RxMC), allowing for the determination of both static and dynamical properties of a polymer system. The RxDPD method is demonstrated by considering several simple polydispersed homopolymer systems. RxDPD can be used to predict the polydispersity due to various effects, including solvents, additives, temperature, pressure, shear, and confinement. Extensions of the method to other polymer systems are straightforward, including grafted, cross-linked polymers, and block copolymers. To simulate polydispersity, the system contains full polymer chains and a single fractional polymer chain, i.e., a polymer chain with a single fractional DPD particle. The fractional particle is coupled to the system via a coupling parameter that varies between zero (no interaction between the fractional particle and the other particles in the system) and one (full interaction between the fractional particle and the other particles in the system). The time evolution of the system is governed by the DPD equations of motion, accompanied by changes in the coupling parameter. The coupling-parameter changes are either accepted with a probability derived from the grand canonical partition function or governed by an equation of motion derived from the extended Lagrangian. The coupling-parameter changes mimic forward and reverse reaction steps, as in RxMC simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a molecular-level simulation study of the effects of confinement on chemical reaction equilibrium in nanoporous materials. We use the reaction ensemble Monte Carlo (RxMC) method to investigate the effects of temperature, nanopore size, bulk pressure, and capillary condensation on the nitric oxide dimerization reaction in a model carbon slit nanopore in equilibrium with a bulk reservoir. In addition to the RxMC simulations, we also utilize the molecular-dynamics method to determine self-diffusion coefficients for confined nonreactive mixtures of nitric oxide monomers and dimers at compositions obtained from the RxMC simulations. We analyze the effects of the temperature, nanopore width, bulk pressure, and capillary condensation on the reaction equilibrium with respect to the reaction conversion, fluid structure, and self-diffusion coefficients. We show that the influence of the temperature, nanopore size, and capillary condensation on the confined reaction equilibrium is quite dramatic while the effect of the bulk pressure on the reaction equilibrium in the carbon slit nanopore is only moderate. This work is an extension of previous work by Turner et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 1851 (2001)] on the confined reactive nitric oxide system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a simulation tool to study fluid mixtures that are simultaneously chemically reacting and adsorbing in a porous material. The method is a combination of the reaction ensemble Monte Carlo method and the dual control volume grand canonical molecular dynamics technique. The method, termed the dual control cell reaction ensemble molecular dynamics method, allows for the calculation of both equilibrium and nonequilibrium transport properties in porous materials such as diffusion coefficients, permeability, and mass flux. Control cells, which are in direct physical contact with the porous solid, are used to maintain the desired reaction and flow conditions for the system. The simulation setup closely mimics an actual experimental system in which the thermodynamic and flow parameters are precisely controlled. We present an application of the method to the dry reforming of methane reaction within a nanoscale reactor model in the presence of a semipermeable membrane that was modeled as a porous material similar to silicalite. We studied the effects of the membrane structure and porosity on the reaction species permeability by considering three different membrane models. We also studied the effects of an imposed pressure gradient across the membrane on the mass flux of the reaction species. Conversion of syngas (H2/CO) increased significantly in all the nanoscale membrane reactor models considered. A brief discussion of further potential applications is also presented. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology for including the effects of nonidealities, such as confinement in a porous solid or solvation, into the calculation of bimolecular reaction rate constants is presented. The method combines the transition-state theory formalism with the Reactive Monte Carlo simulation method. The approach is computationally efficient and accurate, within the approximations imposed by transition-state theory and the intermolecular potentials. Several applications of the method are presented for the decomposition reaction, 2HI→H[sub 2]+I[sub 2], including effects due to confinement within carbon micropores and due to inert solvents. The method can be readily extended to other chemical reaction rate calculations in which the structure and the activation energy of the transition state is known a priori. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]