A potential function is presented that can be used to model both chemical reactions and intermolecular interactions in condensed-phase hydrocarbon systems such as liquids, graphite, and polymers. This potential is derived from a well-known dissociable hydrocarbon force field, the reactive empirical bond-order potential. The extensions include an adaptive treatment of the nonbonded and dihedral-angle interactions, which still allows for covalent bonding interactions. Torsional potentials are introduced via a novel interaction potential that does not require a fixed hybridization state. The resulting model is intended as a first step towards a transferable, empirical potential capable of simulating chemical reactions in a variety of environments. The current implementation has been validated against structural and energetic properties of both gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons, and is expected to prove useful in simulations of hydrocarbon liquids, thin films, and other saturated hydrocarbon systems.

https://www.usna.edu/Users/chemistry/jah/_files/Papers/AIREBO_JCPversion.pdf

A reactive potential for hydrocarbons with intermolecular interactions

Parallel processes for patterning densely packed nanometre-scale structures are critical for many diverse areas of nanotechnology. Thin films of diblock copolymers can self-assemble into ordered periodic structures at the molecular scale (approximately 5 to 50 nm), and have been used as templates to fabricate quantum dots, nanowires, magnetic storage media, nanopores and silicon capacitors. Unfortunately, perfect periodic domain ordering can only be achieved over micrometre-scale areas at best and defects exist at the edges of grain boundaries. These limitations preclude the use of block-copolymer lithography for many advanced applications. Graphoepitaxy, in-plane electric fields, temperature gradients, and directional solidification have also been demonstrated to induce orientation or long-range order with varying degrees of success. Here we demonstrate the integration of thin films of block copolymer with advanced lithographic techniques to induce epitaxial self-assembly of domains. The resulting patterns are defect-free, are oriented and registered with the underlying substrate and can be created over arbitrarily large areas. These structures are determined by the size and quality of the lithographically defined surface pattern rather than by the inherent limitations of the self-assembly process. Our results illustrate how hybrid strategies to nanofabrication allow for molecular level control in existing manufacturing processes.

Epitaxial self-assembly of block copolymers on lithographically defined nanopatterned substrates

A mean-field phase diagram for conformationally symmetric diblock melts using the standard Gaussian polymer model is presented. Our calculation, which traverses the weak- to strong-segregation regimes, is free of traditional approximations. Regions of stability are determined for disordered (DIS) melts and for ordered structures including lamellae (L), hexagonally packed cylinders (H), body-centered cubic spheres (QIm3m), close-packed spheres (CPS), and the bicontinuous cubic network with Ia3d symmetry (QIa3d). The CPS phase exists in narrow regions along the order−disorder transition for χN ≥ 17.67. Results suggest that the QIa3d phase is not stable above χN ∼ 60. Along the L/QIa3d phase boundaries, a hexagonally perforated lamellar (HPL) phase is found to be nearly stable. Our results for the bicontinuous Pn3m cubic (QPn3m) phase, known as the OBDD, indicate that it is an unstable structure in diblock melts. Earlier approximation schemes used to examine mean-field behavior are reviewed, and compa...

Unifying Weak- and Strong-Segregation Block Copolymer Theories

Methods to pattern substrates with dense periodic nanostructures that combine top-down lithographic tools and self-assembling block copolymer materials are provided. According to various embodiments, the methods involve chemically patterning a substrate, depositing a block copolymer film on the chemically patterned imaging layer, and allowing the block copolymer to self-assemble in the presence of the chemically patterned substrate, thereby producing a pattern in the block copolymer film that is improved over the substrate pattern in terms feature size, shape, and uniformity, as well as regular spacing between arrays of features and between the features within each array compared to the substrate pattern. In certain embodiments, the density and total number of pattern features in the block copolymer film is also increased. High density and quality nanoimprint templates and other nanopatterned structures are also provided.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/321/5891/936.full.pdf

Density multiplication and improved lithography by directed block copolymer assembly

Directing the self-assembly of block copolymers

A Monte Carlo simulation study has been conducted to assess the ability of recently proposed force fields to predict orthobaric densities, second virial coefficients, and P-V-T data for short and long alkanes. A new, modified force field is proposed that provides good agreement with experimental phase equilibrium and second virial coefficient data over wide ranges of temperature and chain length.

On the simulation of vapor-liquid equilibria for alkanes

We have investigated the ability of a simple phenomenological theory to describe the behavior of symmetric diblock copolymer thin films confined between two hard surfaces. Prior knowledge of the morphology in the confined films is crucial for applying this theory to predict the phase diagram of such systems. Taking advantage of our observations in Monte Carlo simulations, we use the theory to construct phase diagrams for thin films confined between patterned-homogeneous surfaces, and obtain good agreement with our results of simulations. Two conditions are essential for obtaining long-range ordered perpendicular lamellae: a lower stripe-patterned surface with the surface pattern period Ls comparable to the bulk lamellar period L0, and an upper neutral or weakly preferential surface. We have also examined the undulation of perpendicular lamellae between two hard surfaces. For the cases of two homogeneous (preferential) surfaces and patterned-preferential surfaces, our calculations using the phenomenologica...

/pdf/symmetric-diblock-copolymer-thin-films-confined-between-1cipqkkqsq.pdf

Symmetric diblock copolymer thin films confined between homogeneous and patterned surfaces: Simulations and theory

A new united-atom force field is proposed for α-olefins. The proposed force field is used to study vapor–liquid equilibria for pure components and binary mixtures. Results of phase equilibria simulations are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data.

/pdf/a-new-united-atom-force-field-for-a-olefins-3jopdiocjg.pdf

A new united atom force field for α-olefins

A new set of united-atom force field parameters is proposed for simulating the phase equilibria of branched alkanes. These parameters complement the already existing set of Nath, Escobedo, and de Pablo revised (NERD) [Nath et al., J. Chem. Phys. 105, 4391 (1998); Nath and de Pablo, Mol. Phys. 98, 231 (2000)] force field parameters. The proposed force field is used to study vapor–liquid equilibria for various isomers of alkanes up to C8. Results of simulations are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data.

New forcefield parameters for branched hydrocarbons

A new united-atom force field is proposed for branched and linear alkanes. The proposed force field is used to study vapour-liquid equilibria for pure components and binary mixtures. Results of phase equilibria simulations are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data.

Shyamal K. Nath

Papers

On the simulation of vapor-liquid equilibria for alkanes

Symmetric diblock copolymer thin films confined between homogeneous and patterned surfaces: Simulations and theory

A new united atom force field for α-olefins

New forcefield parameters for branched hydrocarbons

Simulation of vapour-liquid equilibria for branched alkanes