Publications

Several methods for preparing well equilibrated melts of long chains polymers are studied. We show that the standard method in which one starts with an ensemble of chains with the correct end-to-end distance arranged randomly in the simulation cell and introduces the excluded volume rapidly, leads to deformation on short length scales. This deformation is strongest for long chains and relaxes only after the chains have moved their own size. Two methods are shown to overcome this local deformation of the chains. One method is to first pre-pack the Gaussian chains, which reduces the density fluctuations in the system, followed by a gradual introduction of the excluded volume. The second method is a double-bridging algorithm in which new bonds are formed across a pair of chains, creating two new chains each substantially different from the original. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods for a linear bead spring polymer model with both zero and nonzero bending stiffness, however the methods are applicable to more complex architectures such as branched and star polymer.

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The authors present the results of molecular dynamics simulations of n-butane and isobutane in silicalite. They begin with a comparison of the bulk adsorption and diffusion properties for two different parameterizations of the interaction potential between the hydrocarbon species, both of which have been shown to reproduce experimental gas-liquid coexistence curves. They examine diffusion as a function of the loading of the zeolite, as well as the temperature dependence of the diffusion constant at loading and for infinite dilution. They continue with simulations in which interfaces are formed between single component gases and the zeolite. After reaching equilibrium, they examine the dynamics of exchange between the bulk gas and the zeolite. Finally, they calculate the permeability of the zeolite for n-butane and isobutane as a function of pressure. Their simulations are performed for a number of different gas temperatures and pressures, covering a wide range of state points.