Zechuan Yu

Mesoscopic packing of disk-like building blocks in calcium silicate hydrate

At 100-nanometer length scale, the mesoscopic structure of calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) plays a critical role in determining the macroscopic material properties, such as porosity. In order to explore the mesoscopic structure of C-S-H, we employ two effective techniques, nanoindentation test and molecular dynamics simulation. Grid nanoindentation tests find different porosity of C-S-H in cement paste specimens prepared at varied water-to-cement (w/c) ratios. The w/c-ratio-induced porosity difference can be ascribed to the aspect ratio (diameter-to-thickness ratio) of disk-like C-S-H building blocks. The molecular dynamics simulation, with a mesoscopic C-S-H model, reveals 3 typical packing patterns and relates the packing density to the aspect ratio. Illustrated with disk-like C-S-H building blocks, this study provides a description of C-S-H structures in complement to spherical-particle C-S-H models at the sub-micron scale.

Molecular dynamics study on stiffness and ductility in chitin–protein composite

Chitin–protein composite is the structural material of many marine animals including lobster, squid, and sponge. The relationship between mechanical performance and hierarchical nanostructure in those composites attracts extensive research interests. In order to study the molecular mechanism behind, we construct atomistic models of chitin–protein composite and conduct computational tensile tests through molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of water content and chitin fiber length on the stiffness are examined. The result reveals the detrimental effect on the stiffness of chitin–protein composite due to the presence of water molecules. Meanwhile, it is found that the chitin–protein composite becomes stiffer as the embedded chitin fiber is longer. As the tensile deformation proceeds, the stress–strain curve features a saw-tooth appearance, which can be explained by the interlocked zigzag nanostructure between adjacent chitin fibers. These interlocked sites can sacrificially break for energy dissipation when the system undergoes large deformation, leading to an improvement of ductility.

Nano- and mesoscale modeling of cement matrix

AbstractAtomistic simulations of cementitious material can enrich our understanding of its structural and mechanical properties, whereas current computational capacities restrict the investigation length scale within 10 nm. In this context, coarse-grained simulations can translate the information from nanoscale to mesoscale, thus bridging the multi-scale investigations. Here, we develop a coarse-grained model of cement matrix using the concept of disk-like building block. The objective is to introduce a new method to construct a coarse-grained model of cement, which could contribute to the scale-bridging issue from nanoscale to mesoscale. PAC codes: 07.05.Tp, 62.25.-g, 82.70.Dd

Flexibility of backbone fibrils in α-chitin crystals with different degree of acetylation

Acetyl groups are backbone outreaches that enhance inter-fibril connection in chitin and chitosan fibril bundle. Removal of acetyl groups affects flexibility of chitosan fibril bundle, thereby affecting mechanical strength of chitosan-based products. Understandings of relationship between degree of acetylation and flexibility of chitin fibril bundle conduce to optimization of synthetic chitin materials. Here, the relationship is examined by performing molecular dynamics simulations. Coiling of chitin and chitosan fibril bundle with different degree of acetylation is observed and flexibility of fibrils is measured. Number and alignment of acetyl groups are found to be important factors determining the flexibility of chitin and chitosan fibril bundle. Structural instability can be caused by incompatible alignment of acetyl groups. Our findings on synthetic chitin-based materials indicate that adding a small amount of acetyl groups to chitosan can significantly enhance the integrity of fibril bundle.