Molecular dynamics simulations on the interactions between nucleic acids and a phospholipid bilayer

Recently,lipid nanoparticles(LNPs)have been extensively investigated as non-viral carriers of nucleic acid vaccines due to their high transport efficiency,safety,and straightforward production and scalability.However,the molecular mechanism underlying the interactions between nucleic acids and phospholipid bilayers within LNPs remains elusive.In this study,we employed the all-atom molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the interactions between single-stranded nucleic acids and a phospholipid bilayer.Our findings revealed that hydrophilic bases,specifically G in single-stranded RNA(ssRNA)and single-stranded DNA(ssDNA),displayed a higher propensity to form hydrogen bonds with phospholipid head groups.Notably,ssRNA exhibited stronger binding energy than ssDNA.Furthermore,divalent ions,particularly Ca2+,facilitated the binding of ssRNA to phospholipids due to their higher binding energy and lower dissociation rate from phospholipids.Overall,our study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying nucleic acidphospholipid interactions,with potential implications for the nucleic acids in biotherapies,particularly in the context of lipid carriers.

Probing the electric double layer structure at nitrogen-doped graphite electrodes by constant-potential molecular dynamics simulations

Electric double layer(EDL)is a critical topic in electrochemistry and largely determines the working performance of lithium batteries.However,atomic insights into the EDL structures on heteroatom-modified graphite anodes and EDL evolution with electrode potential are very lacking.Herein,a constant-potential molecular dynamics(CPMD)method is proposed to probe the EDL structure under working conditions,taking N-doped graphite electrodes and carbonate electrolytes as an example.An interface model was developed,incorporating the electrode potential and atom electronegativities.As a result,an insightful atomic scenario for the EDL structure under varied electrode potentials has been established,which unveils the important role of doping sites in regulating both the EDL structures and the following electrochemical reactions at the atomic level.Specifically,the negatively charged N atoms repel the anions and adsorb Li~+at high and low potentials,respectively.Such preferential adsorption suggests that Ndoped graphite can promote Li~+desolvation and regulate the location of Li~+deposition.This CPMD method not only unveils the mysterious function of N-doping from the viewpoint of EDL at the atomic level but also applies to probe the interfacial structure on other complicated electrodes.

Balanced Fracturing and Cold-welding of Magnesium during Ball Milling Assisted by Carbon Coating:Experimental and Molecular Dynamic Simulation

The lignite-derived carbon from self-protection pyrolysis was employed to balance the fracturing and cold-welding of magnesium during ball milling.Particle size analysis indicates that the introduction of lignite-derived carbon can effectively reduce the particle size of Mg while the introduction of graphite does no help.Besides,the effect of lignite-derived carbon on crystallite size reduction of Mg is also better than graphite.A moderate cold-welding phenomenon was observed after ball-milling Mg with the lignite-derived carbon,suggesting less Mg is wasted on the milling vials and balls.Molecular dynamic simulations reveal that the balanced fracturing and cold-welding of magnesium during ball milling is mainly attributed to the special structure of the lignite-derived carbon:graphitized short-range ordered stacking function as dry lubricant and irregular shape/sharp edge function as milling aid.The preliminary findings in current study are expected to offer implications for designing efficient Mg-based hydrogen storage materials.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Shock Response of CL-20 Co-crystals Containing Void Defects

To investigate the effect of void defects on the shock response of hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane(CL-20)co-crystals,shock responses of CL-20 co-crystals with energetic materials ligands trinitrotoluene(TNT),1,3-dinitrobenzene(DNB),solvents ligands dimethyl carbonate(DMC) and gamma-butyrolactone(GBL)with void were simulated,using molecular dynamics method and reactive force field.It is found that the CL-20 co-crystals with void defects will form hot spots when impacted,significantly affecting the decomposition of molecules around the void.The degree of molecular fragmentation is relatively low under the reflection velocity of 2 km/s,and the main reactions are the formation of dimer and the shedding of nitro groups.The existence of voids reduces the safety of CL-20 co-crystals,which induced the sensitivity of energetic co-crystals CL-20/TNT and CL-20/DNB to increase more significantly.Detonation has occurred under the reflection velocity of 4 km/s,energetic co-crystals are easier to polymerize than solvent co-crystals,and are not obviously affected by voids.The results show that the energy of the wave decreases after sweeping over the void,which reduces the chemical reaction frequency downstream of the void and affects the detonation performance,especially the solvent co-crystals.

Study of the Relationship Between New Ionic Interaction Parameters and Salt Solubility in Electrolyte Solutions Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Studying the relationship between ionic interactions and salt solubility in seawater has implications for seawater desalination and mineral extraction.In this paper,a new method of expressing ion-to-ion interaction is proposed by using molecular dynamics simulation,and the relationship between ion-to-ion interaction and salt solubility in a simulated seawater water-salt system is investigated.By analyzing the variation of distance and contact time between ions in an electrolyte solution,from both spatial and temporal perspectives,new parameters were proposed to describe the interaction between ions:interaction distance(ID),and interaction time ratio(ITR).The best correlation between characteristic time ratio and solubility was found for a molar ratio of salt-to-water of 10:100 with a correlation coefficient of 0.96.For the same salt,a positive correlation was found between CTR and the molar ratio of salt and water.For type 1-1,type 2-1,type 1-2,and type 2-2 salts,the correlation coefficients between CTR and solubility were 0.93,0.96,0.92,and 0.98 for a salt-to-water molar ratio of 10:100,respectively.The solubility of multiple salts was predicted by simulations and compared with experimental values,yielding an average relative deviation of 12.4%.The new ion-interaction parameters offer significant advantages in describing strongly correlated and strongly hydrated electrolyte solutions.

Molecular dynamics simulation of the flow mechanism of shear-thinning fluids in a microchannel

Shear-thinning fluids have been widely used in microfluidic systems,but their internal flow mechanism is still unclear.Therefore,in this paper,molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the laminar flow of shear-thinning fluid in a microchannel.We validated the feasibility of our simulation method by evaluating the mean square displacement and Reynolds number of the solution layers.The results show that the change rule of the fluid system's velocity profile and interaction energy can reflect the shear-thinning characteristics of the fluids.The velocity profile resembles a top-hat shape,intensifying as the fluid's power law index decreases.The interaction energy between the wall and the fluid decreases gradually with increasing velocity,and a high concentration of non-Newtonian fluid reaches a plateau sooner.Moreover,the velocity profile of the fluid is related to the molecule number density distribution and their values are inversely proportional.By analyzing the radial distribution function,we found that the hydrogen bonds between solute and water molecules weaken with the increase in velocity.This observation offers an explanation for the shear-thinning phenomenon of the non-Newtonian flow from a micro perspective.

Temperature effect on nanotwinned Ni under nanoindentation using molecular dynamic simulation

Temperature effect on atomic deformation of nanotwinned Ni (nt-Ni) under localized nanoindentation is investigated in comparison with nanocrystalline Ni (nc-Ni) through molecular simulation.The nt-Ni exhibits enhanced critical load and hardness compared to nc-Ni,where perfect,stair-rod and Shockley dislocations are activated at (111),(111) and (111) slip planes in nt-Ni compared to only SSockley dislocation nucleation at (111) and (111) slip planes of nc-Ni.The nt-Ni exhibits a less significant indentation size effect in comparison with nc-Ni due to the dislocation slips hindrance of the twin boundary.The atomic deformation associated with the indentation size effect is investigated during dislocation transmission.Different from the decreasing partial slips parallel to the indenter surface in nc-Ni with increasing temperature,the temperaturedependent atomic deformation of nt-Ni is closely related to the twin boundary:from the partial slips parallel to the twin boundary (~10 K),to increased confined layer slips and decreased twin migration(300 K–600 K),to decreased confined layer slips and increased dislocation interaction of dislocation pinning and dissociation (900 K–1200 K).Dislocation density and atomic structure types through quantitative analysis are implemented to further reveal the above-mentioned dislocation motion and atomic structure alteration.Our study is helpful for understanding the temperature-dependent plasticity of twin boundary in nanotwinned materials.

Electronic effects on radiation damage inα-iron:A molecular dynamics study

Iron(Fe)-based alloys,which have been widely used as structural materials in nuclear reactors,can significantly change their microstructure properties and macroscopic properties under high flux neutron irradiation during operation,thus,the problems associated with the safe operation of nuclear reactors have been put forward naturally.In this work,a molecular dynamics simulation approach combined with electronic effects is developed for investigating the primary radiation damage process inα-Fe.Specifically,the influence of electronic effects on the collision cascade in Fe is systematically evaluated based on two commonly used interatomic potentials for Fe.The simulation results reveal that both electronic stopping(ES)and electron-phonon coupling(EPC)can contribute to the decrease of the number of defects in the thermal spike phase.The application of ES reduces the number of residual defects after the cascade evolution,whereas EPC has a reverse effect.The introduction of electronic effects promotes the formation of the dispersive subcascade:ES significantly changes the geometry of the damaged region in the thermal spike phase,whereas EPC mainly reduces the extent of the damaged region.Furthermore,the incorporation of electronic effects effectively mitigates discrepancies in simulation outcomes when using different interatomic potentials.

Revealing Al-O/Al-F reaction dynamic effects on the combustion of aluminum nanoparticles in oxygen/fluorine containing environments:A reactive molecular dynamics study meshing together experimental validation

Improving the energy conversion efficiency in metallic fuel(e.g.,Al)combustion is always desirable but challenging,which often involves redox reactions of aluminum(Al)with various mixed oxidizing environments.For instance,Al-O reaction is the most common pathway to release limited energy while Al-F reaction has received much attentions to enhance Al combustion efficiency.However,microscopic understanding of the Al-O/Al-F reaction dynamics remains unsolved,which is fundamentally necessary to further improve Al combustion efficiency.In this work,for the first time,Al-O/Al-F reaction dynamic effects on the combustion of aluminum nanoparticles(n-Al)in oxygen/fluorine containing environments have been revealed via reactive molecular dynamics(RMD)simulations meshing together combustion experiments.Three RMD simulation systems of Al core/O_(2)/HF,n-Al/O_(2)/HF,and n-Al/O_(2)/CF4 with oxygen percentage ranging from 0%to 100%have been performed.The n-Al combustion in mixed O_(2)/CF_4 environments have been conducted by constant volume combustion experiments.RMD results show that Al-O reaction exhibits kinetic benefits while Al-F reaction owns thermodynamic benefits for n-Al combustion.In n-Al/O_(2)/HF,Al-O reaction gives faster energy release rate than Al-F reaction(1.1 times).The optimal energy release efficiency can be achieved with suitable oxygen percentage of 10%and 50%for n-Al/O_(2)/HF and n-Al/O_(2)/CF_4,respectively.In combustion experiments,90%of oxygen percentage can optimally enhance the peak pressure,pressurization rate and combustion heat.Importantly,Al-O reaction prefers to occur on the surface regions while Al-F reaction prefers to proceed in the interior regions of n-Al,confirming the kinetic/thermodynamic benefits of Al-O/Al-F reactions.The synergistic effect of Al-O/Al-F reaction for greatly enhancing n-Al combustion efficiency is demonstrated at atomicscale,which is beneficial for optimizing the combustion performance of metallic fuel.

Analysis of CH_(4) and H_(2) Adsorption on Heterogeneous Shale Surfaces Using aMolecular Dynamics Approach

Determining the adsorption of shale gas on complex surfaces remains a challenge in molecular simulation studies.Difficulties essentially stem from the need to create a realistic shale structure model in terms of mineral heterogeneityand multiplicity.Moreover,precise characterization of the competitive adsorption of hydrogen andmethane in shale generally requires the experimental determination of the related adsorptive capacity.In thisstudy,the adsorption of adsorbates,methane(CH_(4)),and hydrogen(H_(2))on heterogeneous shale surface modelsof Kaolinite,Orthoclase,Muscovite,Mica,C_(60),and Butane has been simulated in the frame of a moleculardynamic’s numerical technique.The results show that these behaviors are influenced by pressure and potentialenergy.On increasing the pressure from 500 to 2000 psi,the sorption effect for CH_(4)significantly increasesbut shows a decline at a certain stage(if compared to H_(2)).The research findings also indicate that raw shalehas a higher capacity to adsorb CH_(4)compared to hydrogen.However,in shale,this difference is negligible.

Ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics study on spin–orbit coupling induced spin dynamics in ferromagnetic metals

Understanding the photoexcitation induced spin dynamics in ferromagnetic metals is important for the design of photo-controlled ultrafast spintronic device.In this work,by the ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulation,we have studied the spin dynamics induced by spin–orbit coupling(SOC)in Co and Fe using both spin-diabatic and spin-adiabatic representations.In Co system,it is found that the Fermi surface(E_(F))is predominantly contributed by the spin-minority states.The SOC induced spin flip will occur for the photo-excited spin-majority electrons as they relax to the E_(F),and the spin-minority electrons tend to relax to the EFwith the same spin through the electron–phonon coupling(EPC).The reduction of spin-majority electrons and the increase of spin-minority electrons lead to demagnetization of Co within100 fs.By contrast,in Fe system,the E_(F) is dominated by the spin-majority states.In this case,the SOC induced spin flip occurs for the photo-excited spin-minority electrons,which leads to a magnetization enhancement.If we move the E_(F) of Fe to higher energy by 0.6eV,the E_(F) will be contributed by the spin-minority states and the demagnetization will be observed again.This work provides a new perspective for understanding the SOC induced spin dynamics mechanism in magnetic metal systems.

The chemical environment and structural ordering in liquid Mg-Y-Zn system:An ab-initio molecular dynamics investigation of melt for the formation mechanism of LPSO structure

In an effort to clarify the formation mechanism of LPSO structure in Mg-Y-Zn alloy,the chemical environment and structural ordering in liquid Mg-rich Mg-Y-Zn system are investigated with the aid of ab-initio molecular dynamics simulation.In liquid Mg-rich Mg-Y alloys,the strong Mg-Y interaction is determined,which promotes the formation of fivefold symmetric local structure.For Mg-Zn alloys,the weak Mg-Zn interaction results in the fivefold symmetry weakening in the liquid structure.Due to the coexistence of Y and Zn,the strong attractive interaction is introduced in liquid Mg-Y-Zn ternary alloy,and contributes to the clustering of Mg,Y,Zn launched from Zn.What is more,the distribution of local structures becomes closer to that in pure Mg compared with that in binary Mg-Y and Mg-Zn alloys.These results should relate to the origins of the Y/Zn segregation zone and close-packed stacking mode in LPSO structure,which provides a new insight into the formation mechanism of LPSO structure at atomic level.

Subpicosecond laser ablation behavior of a magnesium target and crater evolution:Molecular dynamics study and experimental validation

The micro-ablation processes and morphological evolution of ablative craters on single-crystal magnesium under subpicosecond laser irradiation are investigated using molecular dynamics(MD) simulations and experiments.The simulation results exhibit that the main failure mode of single-crystal Mg film irradiated by a low fluence and long pulse width laser is the ejection of surface atoms,which has laser-induced high stress.However,under high fluence and short pulse width laser irradiation,the main damage mechanism is nucleation fracture caused by stress wave reflection and superposition at the bottom of the film.In addition,Mg[0001] has higher pressure sensitivity and is more prone to ablation than Mg[0001].The evolution equation of crater depth is established using multi-pulse laser ablation simulation and verified by experiments.The results show that,under multiple pulsed laser irradiation,not only does the crater depth increase linearly with the pulse number,but also the quadratic term and constant term of the fitted crater profile curve increase linearly.

Investigation of Projectile Impact Behaviors of Graphene Aerogel Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Graphene aerogel(GA),as a novel solid material,has shown great potential in engineering applications due to its unique mechanical properties.In this study,the mechanical performance of GA under high-velocity projectile impacts is thoroughly investigated using full-atomic molecular dynamics(MD)simulations.The study results show that the porous structure and density are key factors determining the mechanical response of GA under impact loading.Specifically,the impact-induced penetration of the projectile leads to the collapse of the pore structure,causing stretching and subsequent rupture of covalent bonds in graphene sheets.Moreover,the effects of temperature on the mechanical performance of GA have been proven to be minimal,thereby highlighting the mechanical stability of GA over a wide range of temperatures.Finally,the energy absorption density(EAD)and energy absorption efficiency(EAE)metrics are adopted to assess the energy absorption capacity of GA during projectile penetration.The research findings of this work demonstrate the significant potential of GA for energy absorption applications.

Molecular dynamics study of primary radiation damage in TiVTa concentrated solid-solution alloy

The primary radiation damage in pure V and TiVTa concentrated solid-solution alloy(CSA)was studied using a molecular dynamics method.We have performed displacement cascade simulations to explore the generation and evolution behavior of irradiation defects.The results demonstrate that the defect accumulation and agglomeration in TiVTa CSA are significantly suppressed compared to pure V.The peak value of Frenkel pairs during cascade collisions in TiVTa CSA is much higher than that in pure V due to the lower formation energy of point defects.Meanwhile,the longer lifetime of the thermal spike relaxation and slow energy dissipation capability of TiVTa CSA can facilitate the recombination of point defects.The defect agglomeration rate in TiVTa CSA is much lower due to the lower binding energy of interstitial clusters and reduced interstitial diffusivity.Furthermore,the occurrence probability of dislocation loops in TiVTa CSA is lower than that in pure V.The reduction in primary radiation damage may enhance the radiation resistance of TiVTa CSA,and the improved radiation tolerance is primarily attributed to the relaxation stage and long-term defect evolution rather than the ballistic stage.These results can provide fundamental insights into irradiation-induced defects evolution in refractory CSAs.

Network pharmacology and molecular dynamics study of the effect of the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair on diabetic kidney disease

BACKGROUND Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is the primary cause of end-stage renal disease.The Astragalus-Coptis drug pair is frequently employed in the management of DKD.However,the precise molecular mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect remains elusive.AIM To investigate the synergistic effects of multiple active ingredients in the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair on DKD through multiple targets and pathways.METHODS The ingredients of the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair were collected and screened using the TCMSP database and the SwissADME platform.The targets were predicted using the SwissTargetPrediction database,while the DKD differential gene expression analysis was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.DKD targets were acquired from the GeneCards,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database,and DisGeNET databases,with common targets identified through the Venny platform.The protein-protein interaction network and the“disease-active ingredient-target”network of the common targets were constructed utilizing the STRING database and Cytoscape software,followed by the analysis of the interaction relationships and further screening of key targets and core active ingredients.Gene Ontology(GO)function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichments were performed using the DAVID database.The tissue and organ distributions of key targets were evaluated.PyMOL and AutoDock software validate the molecular docking between the core ingredients and key targets.Finally,molecular dynamics(MD)simulations were conducted to simulate the optimal complex formed by interactions between core ingredients and key target proteins.RESULTS A total of 27 active ingredients and 512 potential targets of the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair were identified.There were 273 common targets between DKD and the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair.Through protein-protein interaction network topology analysis,we identified 9 core active ingredients and 10 key targets.GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that Astragalus-Coptis drug pair treatment for DKD involves various biological processes,including protein phosphorylation,negative regulation of apoptosis,inflammatory response,and endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response.These pathways are mainly associated with the advanced glycation end products(AGE)-receptor for AGE products signaling pathway in diabetic complications,as well as the Lipid and atherosclerosis.Molecular docking and MD simulations demonstrated high affinity and stability between the core active ingredients and key targets.Notably,the quercetin-AKT serine/threonine kinase 1(AKT1)and quercetin-tumor necrosis factor(TNF)protein complexes exhibited exceptional stability.CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that DKD treatment with the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair involves multiple ingredients,targets,and signaling pathways.We propose a novel approach for investigating the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of the Astragalus-Coptis drug pair on DKD.Furthermore,we suggest that quercetin is the most potent active ingredient and specifically targets AKT1 and TNF,providing a theoretical foundation for further exploration of pharmacologically active ingredients and elucidating their molecular mechanisms in DKD treatment.

Exploring the molecular mechanism of action of curcumin for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy,using network pharmacology,molecular docking,and molecular dynamics simulation

Background:Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking,the present study investigated the mechanism of curcumin(CUR)in diabetic retinopathy treatment.Methods:Based on the DisGeNET,Swiss TargetPrediction,GeneCards,Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man,Gene Expression Omnibus,and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database,the intersection core targets of CUR and diabetic retinopathy were identified.The intersection target was imported into the STRING database to obtain the protein-protein interaction map.According to the Database for Annotation,Visualization and Integrated Discovery database,the intersected targets were enriched in Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways.Then Cytoscape 3.9.1 is used to make the drug-target-disease-pathway network.The mechanism of CUR and diabetic retinopathy was further verified by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation.Results:There were 203 intersecting targets of CUR and diabetic retinopathy identified.1320 GO entries were enriched for GO functions,which were primarily involved in the composition of cells such as identical protein binding,protein binding,enzyme binding,etc.It was found that 175 pathways were enriched using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment methods,which were mainly included in the lipid and atherosclerosis,AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications,pathways in cancer,etc.In the molecular docking analysis,CUR was found to have a good ability to bind to the core targets of albumin,IL-1B,and IL-6.The binding of albumin to CUR was further verified by molecular dynamics simulation.Conclusion:As a result of this study,CUR may exert a role in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy through multi-target and multi-pathway regulation,which indicates a possible direction of future research.

Molecular Dynamics, Diffusion Coefficients and Activation Energy of the Electrolyte (Anode) in Lithium (Li and Li+), Sodium (Na and Na+) and Potassium (K and K+)

This work is a simulation modelling with the LAMMPS calculation code of an electrode based on alkali metals (lithium, sodium and potassium) using the MEAM potential. For different multiplicities, two models were studied;with and without gap. In this work, we present the structural, physical and chemical properties of the lithium, sodium and potassium electrodes. For the structural properties, the cohesive energy and the mesh parameters were calculated, revealing that, whatever the chemical element selected, the compact hexagonal hcp structure is the most stable, followed by the face-centred cubic CFC structure, and finally the BCC structure. The most stable structure is lithium, with a cohesion energy of -6570 eV, and the lowest bcc-hcp transition energy of -0.553 eV/atom, followed by sodium. For physical properties, kinetic and potential energies were calculated for each of the sectioned chemical elements, with lithium achieving the highest value. Finally, for the chemical properties, we studied the diffusion coefficient and the activation energy. Only potassium followed an opposite order to the other two, with the quantities with lacunae being greater than those without lacunae, whatever the multiplicity. The order of magnitude of the diffusion coefficients is given by the relationship DLi > DNa > Dk for the multiplicity 6*6*6, while for the activation energy the order is reversed.

Insight of Natural Compounds Halimane Diterpenoids against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Virtual Screening, DFT, Drug-Likeness, and Molecular Dynamics Approach

In the purpose to design novel antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), we have built a molecular library around 42 Halimane Diterpenoids isolated from natural sources. Two Mtb enzymes drug targets (Mtb Mycothiol S-transferase and Mtb Homoserine transacetylase) have been adopted. The pharmacological potential was investigated through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, density functional theory (gas phase and water) and ADMET analysis. Our results indicate that (2R,5R,6S)-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-5-((E)-5-hydroxy-3-methylpent-3-enyl)-1,1,5,6-tetramethylnaphtha-lene-2-ol (compound 20) has displays higher docking score with each of the selected drug targets. In addition, this molecule exhibits a satisfactory drug potential activity and a good chemical reactivity. Its improved kinetic stability in the Mtb Mycothiol S-transferase enzyme reflects its suitability as a novel inhibitor of Mtb growth. This molecule has displayed a good absorption potential. Our results also show that its passive passage of the intestinal permeability barrier is more effective than that of first-line treatments (ethambutol, isoniazid). In the same way, this anti-TB druglikeness has shown to be able to cross the blood brain barrier.

Anti-sintering behavior and combustion process of aluminum nano particles coated with PTFE:A molecular dynamics study

The characteristic of easy sintering of aluminum nanoparticle(ANP)limits its application in solid propellants.Coating ANP with fluoropolymer could effectively improve its combustion performance.To find out how the coating layer inhibits sintering and promotes complete combustion of particles from an atomic view,a comparative study has been done for bare ANP and PTFE coated ANP by using reactive molecular dynamics simulations.The sintering process is quantified by shrinkage ratio and gyration radius.Our results show that,at the same heating rate and combustion temperatures,bare ANPs are sintered together after the temperature exceeds the melting point of aluminum but the decomposition of PTFE coating layer pushes particles away and increases reaction surface area by producing small Al-F clusters.The sintering of ANPs which are heated in PTFE is alleviated compared with particles heated in oxygen,but particles still sinter together due to the lack of intimate contact between PTFE and alumina surface.The effect of temperature on the combustion of PTFE coated ANPs is also studied from 1000 to3500 K.The number density analysis shows the particles will not be sintered at any temperature.Aluminum fluoride prefers diffusing to the external space and the remained particles are mainly composed of Al,C and O.Fast ignition simulations are performed by adopting micro canonical ensemble.With the expansion of aluminum core and the melting of alumina shell,bare ANPs are sintered into a liquid particle directly.For PTFE coated ANPs,the volatilization of gaseous aluminum fluoride products continually endows particles opposite momentum.