pair_style hybrid/overlay

Dear lammps users,
i have a question about pair_style hybrid/overlay in my simulation. Since i am a beginner, i just got confused about it.

I have a silicon cluster that moves in the Z direction and then hit to a boron-nitride nanosheet.

I have attached the potential file for both material in the email.
the cutoff parameter for boron nitride nanosheet is 2.0 and for the silicon cluster is 3.0.

here is a part of my input file:

atom_style atomic

neighbor 2.0 nsq
neigh_modify delay 1
read_data ./data.out extra/atom/types 1
read_data ./SphereUnit.xyz add append offset 2 2 2 2 2
pair_style hybrid/overlay lj/cut 2.0 tersoff tersoff
pair_coeff * * tersoff 1 BN.tersoff B N NULL
pair_coeff * * tersoff 2 Si.tersoff Si Si Si
pair_coeff 1 2 lj/cut 1.0 1.5

i have two problems here,

  1. i dont which value should i write in the commands in pair_style and pair_coeff
  2. i dont know how lammps know which pair_style belongs to which material.

Your help will be appreciated.

All the best,
Mohsen

BN.tersoff (1.54 KB)

Si.tersoff (841 Bytes)

Dear lammps users,
i have a question about pair_style hybrid/overlay in my simulation. Since i
am a beginner, i just got confused about it.

as a beginner, you should not start learning LAMMPS with such a
complex system. you are destined to be confused.
why don't you start with a simpler system, e.g. something that only
requires lennard-jones potentials.
that will allow you to learn more gradually, and from the quoted input
below, there is a *lot* that you need to learn.

I have a silicon cluster that moves in the Z direction and then hit to a
boron-nitride nanosheet.

I have attached the potential file for both material in the email.
the cutoff parameter for boron nitride nanosheet is 2.0 and for the silicon
cluster is 3.0.

cutoff in what units? for what interactions? in tersoff, cutoffs are
included in the potential file and thus don't have to be specified.

here is a part of my input file:

atom_style atomic

where are your units?
most tersoff potential files require metal units.

neighbor 2.0 nsq

why nsq?

neigh_modify delay 1
read_data ./data.out extra/atom/types 1
read_data ./SphereUnit.xyz add append offset 2 2 2 2 2
pair_style hybrid/overlay lj/cut 2.0 tersoff tersoff

why hybrid/overlay? why not pair_style hybrid?

pair_coeff * * tersoff 1 BN.tersoff B N NULL

pair_coeff * * tersoff 2 Si.tersoff Si Si Si

this is wrong. you are assigning Si-Si interactions to those atoms,
that already have B-N.

pair_coeff 1 2 lj/cut 1.0 1.5

where do these parameters come from? and why adding them to
interactions between atom types 1 and 2; those are already covered by
the first tersoff potential. also the values most certainly don't look
like parameters for B/N in metal units.

i have two problems here,
1. i dont which value should i write in the commands in pair_style and
pair_coeff

you *should* know this. if you don't, this means, you are not
experienced enough and should practice with a simpler model. please
see my comment from the top.

2. i dont know how lammps know which pair_style belongs to which material.

through mapping atom types to interactions via pair_coeff

axel.

Dear Axel,
Thank you very much for your help and suggestions. Actually, i need to do that for a project and i have to learn it.
With your help, i changed my input to :

atom_style atomic

read_data ./data.out extra/atom/types 1

read_data ./SphereUnit.xyz add append offset 2 2 2 2 2

pair_style hybrid lj/cut 10 tersoff tersoff

pair_coeff * * tersoff 1 BN.tersoff B N NULL

pair_coeff * * tersoff 2 Si.tersoff Si NULL NULL

pair_coeff 1 3 lj/cut 0.8 1.3

pair_coeff 2 3 lj/cut 0.8 1.3

pair_coeff 3 3 none

I think it’s much better now. I just have a question, how can i calculate the value of lj/cut? the values that i wrote (0.8 and 1.3) are just for test, i could not find anything on lammps web site that help me to how to calculate the value of lj/cut, from which formula?

Thank you very much, and i am so sorry if my questions are so basic to you.

All the best,

Mohsen

Dear Axel,
Thank you very much for your help and suggestions. Actually, i need to do
that for a project and i have to learn it.

then go to the person that assigned that project to you and ask that
person to be properly trained. this mailing list cannot do this for
you. ...and also let me alert you, that there is more to learn about
MD and how to do it correctly, than just writing a syntactically
correct input. you cannot learn this while doing your project. since
your project seems to be complex, it is *necessary* to first train
with simpler system. failing to do so, *will* take more time since you
will be making bad choices and will thus will have to repeat
calculations or will get bad and unpublishable results.

With your help, i changed my input to :

atom_style atomic

read_data ./data.out extra/atom/types 1

read_data ./SphereUnit.xyz add append offset 2 2 2 2 2

pair_style hybrid lj/cut 10 tersoff tersoff

pair_coeff * * tersoff 1 BN.tersoff B N NULL

pair_coeff * * tersoff 2 Si.tersoff Si NULL NULL

pair_coeff 1 3 lj/cut 0.8 1.3

pair_coeff 2 3 lj/cut 0.8 1.3

pair_coeff 3 3 none

I think it's much better now. I just have a question, how can i calculate

it is still wrong. you are now overwriting the B parameters with Si parameters.
there should be no pair_coeff none setting for this kind of system.

the value of lj/cut? the values that i wrote (0.8 and 1.3) are just for
test, i could not find anything on lammps web site that help me to how to
calculate the value of lj/cut, from which formula?

they are not computed, they need to be parameterized. you need to look
them up in the published literature, if they exist, or learn how to
parameterize those yourself (which is a *massive* undertaking for a
beginner) or collaborate with somebody that knows how to parameterize
interactions like these. this question and your inability to
understand that your input is incorrect, just confirms my assessment,
that you are far too inexperienced to do a simulation of such a
complex system. please go to your adviser/supervisor and request to be
properly trained.
your issues are primarily not LAMMPS issues, but problems of not
understanding MD and classical force fields well enough altogether.

please understand, that it is not the purpose of this mailing list or
the LAMMPS manual to provide this kind of understanding, but rather it
is a prerequisite to be able to make sense of the kind of (technical)
help we can provide and understand the choices required for writing
LAMMPS simulation input scripts.

Thank you very much, and i am so sorry if my questions are so basic to you.

as mentioned before, you are mostly harming yourself. if you want be
successful at performing good and meaningful MD simulations, you will
need to know more about the basics of MD simulations. no amount of
apologies will save you from that.

it is ok to state that you are a beginner and ask for help. however,
it is not going to be OK (at least not with me) if you keep continuing
with your project without following the advice being given and first
obtaining better training in simulation and statistical mechanics
basics. you'll be wasting your and - more importantly - our time.

axel.