A computational multiscale strategy of the study of amorphous materials

A first step towards a computational Si–O–P angles, respectively. Other geometrical featuresmultiscale approach has been adopted here to deal with are in excellent agreement within the two approaches.the computational simulation of the Hench bioglass Electronic properties of the Hench bioglass have been45S5, an amorphous material of 48.1% SiO2 , 25.9% reported at B3LYP for the first time and both Mullik-CaO, 22.2% Na2 O and 3.7% P2 O5 composition. Molec- en charges and electronic band structure show a ratherular dynamics simulations based on classical force fields ionic character of the material, whereas a band gap offollowed by static minimizations on quenched structures about 6.5 eV characterizes the bioglass as a strong insu-have been run on a unit cell size suitable for subsequent lator. Work presently in progress will soon allow theab initio calculations. The molecular mechanics opti- information to be transferred from the B3LYP calcu-mized unit cell envisaging 78 atoms of Na12 Ca7 P2 Si13 lations to the molecular mechanics engine in order toO44 composition and P1 symmetry has then been fully refine the presently available empirical force fields foroptimized (both unit cell parameters and internal coor- complex ionic systems and their surfaces.dinates) at B3LYP level in a periodic approach usinggaussian basis sets of double-ζ quality and the devel-opment version of the CRYSTAL03 code. Comparisonbetween the molecular mechanics and B3LYP optimizedstructures shows the latter to give a slightly higherdensity than the former, due to overestimation of theSi–O bonds and underestimation of the Si–O–Si an