Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Atoms Diffusion in Solid

Abstract

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, which treat atoms as point particles and trace their individual trajectories, are always employed to investigate the transport properties of a many-body system. The diffusion coefficients of atoms in solid can be obtained by the Einstein relation and the Green-Kubo relation. An overview of the MD simulations of atoms diffusion in the bulk, surface and grain boundary is provided. We also give an example of the diffusion of helium in tungsten to illustrate the procedure, as well as the importance of the choice of interatomic potentials. MD simulations can provide intuitive insights into the atomic mechanisms of diffusion.