Research
Academics
publications by Stefano Curtarolo.
Papers Published
- W. Setyawan and R. D. Diehl and S. Curtarolo, Structures and Topological Transitions of Hydrocarbon Films on Quasicrystalline Surfaces,
Physical Review Letters, vol. 102 no. 5
(February, 2009) .
(last updated on 2009/08/04)Abstract:
Lubricants can affect quasicrystalline coating surfaces by modifying the commensurability of the interfaces. We report results of the first computer simulation studies of physically adsorbed hydrocarbons on a quasicrystalline surface: methane, propane, and benzene on decagonal Al-Ni-Co. The grand canonical Monte Carlo method is employed, using novel embedded-atom method potentials generated from ab initio calculations, and standard hydrocarbon interactions. The resulting adsorption isotherms and calculated structures show the films' evolution from submonolayer to condensation. We discover the presence and absence of the fivefold to sixfold topological transition, for benzene and methane, respectively, in agreement with a previously formulated phenomenological rule based on adsorbate-substrate size mismatch.
The mission of Duke's Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science educational programs is to provide the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to be successful in the practice of engineering; the preparation necessary to undertake professional registration; an educational preparation for graduate or professional study; and an education background that is the basis for professional growth and leadership throughout a career that may encompass a broad range of endeavors, both technical and non-technical.