Universal Nucleation Behavior of Sheared Systems

Using molecular simulations and a modified classical nucleation theory, we study the nucleation, under flow, of a variety of liquids: different water models, Lennard-Jones, and hard sphere colloids. Our approach enables us to analyze a wide range of shear rates inaccessible to brute-force simulations. Our results reveal that the variation of the nucleation rate with shear is universal. A simplified version of the theory successfully captures the nonmonotonic temperature dependence of the nucleation behavior, which is shown to originate from the violation of the Stokes-Einstein relation.

Automated summary

Using molecular simulations and modified classical nucleation theory, this study investigates the nucleation of various liquids under flow. The results reveal a universal variation of nucleation rate with shear, and a simplified theory successfully explains the nonmonotonic temperature dependence of nucleation behavior.