Physics / Fizik

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/6

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  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 3
    Citation - Scopus: 3
    Atomic-Scale Investigation of the Effect of Surface Carbon Coatings on the Oxidation and Mechanical Properties of Iron Nanowires
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021) Aral, Gürcan; Islam, Md Mahbubul
    The understanding of the complex atomistic-scale mechanisms of the oxidation process of carbon (C) coated iron nanowires (Fe NW) and also the resulting modulation of mechanical properties is a highly challenging task. We perform reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations based on the ReaxFF force field to investigate the mechanisms of the oxidation process of [001]-oriented pristine cylindrical Fe NWs with and without a C coating in an O2 environment in order to obtain detailed insights into the influences of the surface C coating on the oxidation process at room temperature. Here, we show that the C-coated shell layer on the free surface of pristine Fe NWs partially controls the spontaneous oxidation when exposed to O2 molecules by hindering the absorption-dissociation of O2 molecules and diffusion of O ions into the shell layer. In particular, the surface modification of the pristine Fe NW with the C-coated shell layer has pronounced effects on the improvement of oxidation resistance by lowering the surface reactivity, which limits the formation of an oxide shell layer on the free surface of the NW. The formation of strong Fe-C bonds in the C-coated shell layer largely restrains the oxidation process. Furthermore, to examine the influence of the C-coated shell layer on the resulting modulation of mechanical properties of the pristine Fe NW, we systematically investigate the mechanical deformation processes and related properties of Fe NW with and without a C coating including their oxidized counterparts subjected to both uniaxial tensile and compressive loads at room temperature. The yield stress and strain (the elastic limit) of Fe NWs including the elastic and plastic deformation phase of the stress-strain relationship are found to be sensitive to the loading modes, the existence of the C-coated shell layer and the resulting formation of an oxide shell layer on the surface of the C-coated Fe NW.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 32
    Citation - Scopus: 34
    Effects of Oxidation on Tensile Deformation of Iron Nanowires: Insights From Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations
    (American Institute of Physics, 2016) Aral, Gürcan; Wang, Yun-Jiang; Ogata, Shigenobu; Van Duin, Adri C.T.
    The influence of oxidation on the mechanical properties of nanostructured metals is rarely explored and remains poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, in this work, we systematically investigate the mechanical properties and changes in the metallic iron (Fe) nanowires (NWs) under various atmospheric conditions of ambient dry O2 and in a vacuum. More specifically, we focus on the effect of oxide shell layer thickness over Fe NW surfaces at room temperature. We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the variable charge ReaxFF force field potential model that dynamically handles charge variation among atoms as well as breaking and forming of the chemical bonds associated with the oxidation reaction. The ReaxFF potential model allows us to study large length scale mechanical atomistic deformation processes under the tensile strain deformation process, coupled with quantum mechanically accurate descriptions of chemical reactions. To study the influence of an oxide layer, three oxide shell layer thicknesses of ∼4.81 Å, ∼5.33 Å, and ∼6.57 Å are formed on the pure Fe NW free surfaces. It is observed that the increase in the oxide layer thickness on the Fe NW surface reduces both the yield stress and the critical strain. We further note that the tensile mechanical deformation behaviors of Fe NWs are dependent on the presence of surface oxidation, which lowers the onset of plastic deformation. Our MD simulations show that twinning is of significant importance in the mechanical behavior of the pure and oxide-coated Fe NWs; however, twin nucleation occurs at a lower strain level when Fe NWs are coated with thicker oxide layers. The increase in the oxide shell layer thickness also reduces the external stress required to initiate plastic deformation.