Oscillatory behavior of nanodroplets.
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed in order to investigate the phenomenon of free oscillations of nanodroplets and the extent to which the continuum theory for such oscillations holds at nanoscales. The effect of temperature on these oscillations is also studied. The surface tension, a key property for the phenomenon of interest, was evaluated and compared with the experimental values of argon, showing that with an appropriate choice of the cutoff distance in the MD simulations, it is possible to predict the surface tension with good approximation. Nanoscale capillary waves on the free surface of the droplet were observed and compared to continuum theoretical predictions of the same. The nanodroplet interface thickness calculated based on continuum theory for these waves agreed well with the molecular dynamics calculation of the interface thickness. The frequencies of the oscillation of the droplet were calculated for all the studied temperatures and compared with the classical continuum theory. Although the simulated system cannot be considered strictly as a continuum, a good overall agreement was found.
Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zentrum, Sonneggstrasse 3, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
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Arcidiacono
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Poulikakos
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Ventikos