Advances in Machine Learning for Atomistic Simulations: Paving the Way for Next-Generation Material Design

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2024) | Viewed by 2313

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: material science; nanostructures; thermal transport; molecular dynamics; density functional theory; density functional tight-binding; extreme conditions

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Guest Editor
Center for Nanotechnology Innovation, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Interests: condensed matter physics; 2D materials; topology; photoemission; electronic properties; scanning probe microscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on recent breakthroughs in the incorporation of machine learning (ML) within atomistic simulations, driving advances in computational materials science. This Special Issue aims at showcasing the potential of ML techniques in enhancing the efficiency of atomistic simulations, offering a panorama of the field, and envisaging future trajectories.

Crucial among these is the advent of machine-learned interatomic potentials (MLIPs), which are revolutionizing the way we represent the forces between atoms of complex materials and their potential energy surfaces (PESs). By parameterizing PESs from high-level ab initio calculations, MLIPs can achieve ab initio-like accuracies but at a fraction of the computational cost, marking a notable milestone in predicting material properties.

The coupling of ML and high-throughput (HT) computational screening has expedited material discovery, with ML algorithms trained on HT data enabling the predictive modelling of novel compounds. Furthermore, a notable shift in material design methodology has been prompted by ML approaches towards ‘inverse design’, where desired properties guide the creation of materials. The integration of generative ML models with atomistic simulations has facilitated the discovery of new catalysts, photovoltaic materials, and high-entropy alloys.

Lastly, ML is aiding the interpretation of high-dimensional atomistic simulation data through dimensionality reduction techniques such as t-SNE, enabling the visualization of simulation outcomes in a human-interpretable format, and revealing patterns and structures that might be obscured in the original high-dimensional data.

We hope that this Special Issue will serve as an extensive survey for the scientific community, reporting the advancements in ML applications within atomistic simulations, and highlighting future directions in designing novel materials for real-world applications.

Dr. Riccardo Dettori
Dr. Antonio Rossi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • machine learning
  • material science
  • computer simulations
  • quantum mechanical calculations
  • molecular dynamics
  • density functional theory
  • atomic-scale modeling
  • neural networks
  • physical chemistry

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 6642 KiB  
Article
Development of Machine Learning Atomistic Potential for Molecular Simulation of Hematite–Water Interfaces
by Mozhdeh Shiranirad and Niall J. English
Crystals 2024, 14(11), 930; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14110930 - 28 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1009
Abstract
A novel approach for constructing a machine-learned potential energy surface (MLP) from unlabeled training data is presented. Utilizing neural networks augmented with a pool-based active learning sampling method, a potential energy surface (PES) is developed for the accurate modeling of interfaces of hematite [...] Read more.
A novel approach for constructing a machine-learned potential energy surface (MLP) from unlabeled training data is presented. Utilizing neural networks augmented with a pool-based active learning sampling method, a potential energy surface (PES) is developed for the accurate modeling of interfaces of hematite iron oxide and water, fitting the much more expensive density functional theory (DFT). Molecular dynamics simulations were performed using this DFT-based PES to characterize the structural and energetic properties of the system. By utilizing the developed machine learning potential (MLP), it was possible to simulate much larger systems for extended periods of time, which will be important for leveraging machine learning potentials as accurate and pragmatic simulation-led molecular design and prototyping tools whilst preserving the ab initio accuracy. Full article
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9 pages, 1587 KiB  
Article
In Situ Calculation of the Rotation Barriers of the Methyl Groups of Tribromomesitylene Crystals: Theory Meets Experiment
by Anissa Amar, Soria Zeroual, Xavier Rocquefelte and Abdou Boucekkine
Crystals 2024, 14(6), 563; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14060563 - 18 Jun 2024
Viewed by 799
Abstract
The computation of the rotation barriers of the methyl groups (Me) of tribromomesitylene (TBM) crystals has been carried out. Experimentally, the barriers of the three Me groups of TBM are found to be high and different. These groups do not experience the same [...] Read more.
The computation of the rotation barriers of the methyl groups (Me) of tribromomesitylene (TBM) crystals has been carried out. Experimentally, the barriers of the three Me groups of TBM are found to be high and different. These groups do not experience the same hindering environment in the crystal state. For an isolated TBM molecule, the three barriers are equal and very low. We found that a cluster of 21 TBM molecules permits the reproduction of the crystal symmetry and structure of the bulk, with a central molecule surrounded by six molecules in the same plane and seven other molecules in two planes above and below. DFT computations including dispersion corrections have been carried out using the ONIOM procedure. The Me groups of the central TBM molecule were rotated step by step to determine the conformations of lowest and highest energy for each Me, thus allowing estimation of the rotation barriers as the difference between these energies. In doing so, we found the following barrier values, namely 105, 173, and 205 cm−1, whereas the experimental values were 111, 180 and 200 cm−1. Full article
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