Molecular dynamics simulations of titanium dioxide as model system for size effects in aerosol deposition

Up to now, the role of particle sizes on deformation features of ceramic particles in aerosol deposition (AD), is not fully understood. For distinguishing general features, two-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are applied to study associated phenomena. The nanoparticles are assumed to have original sizes of 10-300 nm and impact the substrate at velocities of 100-1000 m/s. The applied Lennard-Jones potential for the modelled nanoparticles were adjusted to mimic the mechanical properties of TiO₂-anatase. For small particles, the simulations reveal three different impact behaviors of (i) rebounding, (ii) bonding and (iii) fragmentation based on initial size and impact velocity, whereas, the larger ones do not show the bonding behavior. The upper limit of the bonding regime shrinks with increasing particle sizes, the field then diminishing for the largest ones. The different impact phenomena were analysed by evolution of the stress, strain and temperature fields. Stress and strain field results showed that “localized inelastic deformation” occurred at particle sites spreading from the interface to the substrate to the particle core. Calculated, temperature fields show a local rise of around 1000 Kelvin due to the inelastic deformation, which is probably sufficient for thermal activation of further deformation features.