We develop a deep learning-based algorithm, called DeepForce, to link ab initio physics with the continuum theory to predict concentration profiles of confined water. We show that the deep-learned forces can be used to predict the structural properties of water confined in a nanochannel with quantum scale accuracy by solving the continuum theory given by Nernst–Planck equation. The DeepForce model has an excellent predictive performance with a relative error less than 7.6% not only for confined water in small channel systems (L < 6 nm) but also for confined water in large channel systems (L = 20 nm) which are computationally inaccessible through the high accuracy ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Finally, we note that classical Molecular dynamics simulations can be inaccurate in capturing the interfacial physics of water in confinement (L < 4.0 nm) when quantum scale physics are neglected.
more »
« less
Deep learning-based quasi-continuum theory for structure of confined fluids
Predicting the structural properties of water and simple fluids confined in nanometer scale pores and channels is essential in, for example, energy storage and biomolecular systems. Classical continuum theories fail to accurately capture the interfacial structure of fluids. In this work, we develop a deep learning-based quasi-continuum theory (DL-QT) to predict the concentration and potential profiles of a Lennard-Jones (LJ) fluid and water confined in a nanochannel. The deep learning model is built based on a convolutional encoder–decoder network (CED) and is applied for high-dimensional surrogate modeling to relate the fluid properties to the fluid–fluid potential. The CED model is then combined with the interatomic potential-based continuum theory to determine the concentration profiles of a confined LJ fluid and confined water. We show that the DL-QT model exhibits robust predictive performance for a confined LJ fluid under various thermodynamic states and for water confined in a nanochannel of different widths. The DL-QT model seamlessly connects molecular physics at the nanoscale with continuum theory by using a deep learning model.
more »
« less
- PAR ID:
- 10389035
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Journal of Chemical Physics
- Volume:
- 157
- Issue:
- 8
- ISSN:
- 0021-9606
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 084121
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
null (Ed.)Fluids confined in nanopores are ubiquitous in nature and technology. In recent years, the interest in confined fluids has grown, driven by research on unconventional hydrocarbon resources -- shale gas and shale oil, much of which are confined in nanopores. When fluids are confined in nanopores, many of their properties differ from those of the same fluid in the bulk. These properties include density, freezing point, transport coefficients, thermal expansion coefficient, and elastic properties. The elastic moduli of a fluid confined in the pores contribute to the overall elasticity of the fluid-saturated porous medium and determine the speed at which elastic waves traverse through the medium. Wave propagation in fluid-saturated porous media is pivotal for geophysics, as elastic waves are used for characterization of formations and rock samples. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of experimental works on wave propagation in fluid-saturated nanoporous media, as well as theoretical works focused on calculation of compressibility of fluids in confinement. We discuss models that bridge the gap between experiments and theory, revealing a number of open questions that are both fundamental and applied in nature. While some results were demonstrated both experimentally and theoretically (e.g. the pressure dependence of compressibility of fluids), others were theoretically predicted, but not verified in experiments (e.g. linear scaling of modulus with the pore size). Therefore, there is a demand for the combined experimental-modeling studies on porous samples with various characteristic pore sizes. The extension of molecular simulation studies from simple model fluids to the more complex molecular fluids is another open area of practical interest.more » « less
-
It has been established that Newton’s law of viscosity fails for fluids under strong confinement as the strain-rate varies significantly over molecular length-scales. We thereby investigate if a nonlocal shear stress accounting for the strain-rate of an adjoining region by a convolution relation with a nonlocal viscosity kernel can be employed to predict the gravity-driven isothermal flow of a Weeks–Chandler–Andersen fluid in a nanochannel. We estimate, using the local average density model, the fluid’s viscosity kernel from isotropic bulk systems of corresponding state points by the sinusoidal transverse force method. A continuum model is proposed to solve the nonlocal hydrodynamics whose solutions capture the key features and agree qualitatively with the results of non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, with deviations observed mostly near the fluid–channel interface.more » « less
-
Complex fluids in confined geometries are found in numerous applications, including membranes, lubricants, and microelectronics. However, current computational approaches for studying these systems have a variety of shortcomings. Particle-based simulations are limited in accessible length and time scales, while the interaction parameters in field-theoretic approaches have no direct connections to specific chemistries. Here, we extend a multiscale framework that we earlier developed for bulk systems to address these challenges in confined polymer formulations. The methodology uses atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to parameterize coarse-grained field-theoretic models of confined fluids, which subsequently enable fast equilibration and the ability to surmount length scales inaccessible to particle-based simulation methods. We first use this workflow to study a model system consisting of a confined Gaussian fluid to validate and determine best practices for the coarse-graining methodology. Next, we demonstrate this methodology by applying it to an alkyl acrylic diblock copolymer and dodecane solution confined between α-iron oxide surfaces and examining the effect of diblock concentration and length on the structure of the adsorbed film. This approach has the potential to expedite the study of complex fluids in confined environments, bridging atomistic detail and mesoscale modeling with broad implications for materials design.more » « less
-
Encapsulated microbubbles (EMBs) are widely used to enhance contrast in ultrasound sonography and are finding increasing use in biomedical therapies such as drug/gene delivery and tissue ablation. EMBs consist of a gas core surrounded by a stabilizing shell made of various materials, including polymers, lipids and proteins. We propose a novel model for a spherical EMB that utilizes a statistically-based continuum theory based on transient networks to simulate the encapsulating material. The use of transient network theory provides a general framework that allows a variety of viscoelastic shell materials to be modeled, including purely elastic solids or viscous fluids. This approach permits macroscopic continuum quantities – such as stress, elastic energy and entropy – to be calculated locally based on the network configuration at a given location. The model requires a minimum number of parameters that include the concentration of network elements, and the rates of attachment and detachment of the elements to and from the network. Using measured properties for a phospholipid bilayer, the model closely reproduces the experimentally-measured radial response of an ultrasonically-driven, lipid-coated microbubble. The model can be readily extended to large nonspherical EMB deformations, which are important in many biomedical applications.more » « less
An official website of the United States government

