arrow
Return

RAFFLE: active learning accelerated interface structure prediction

delete2025-08-08
delete0
delete
OA
AI
N
Ned Thaddeus Taylor *
J
Joe Pitfield
F
Francis Huw Davies
S
Steven Paul Hepplestone *
DOI:10.1038/s41524-025-01749-5delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Interfaces between materials are critical to the performance of many devices, yet predicting their structure is computationally demanding due to the vast configuration space. We introduce RAFFLE, a software package for efficiently exploring low-energy interface configurations between arbitrary crystal pairs, enabling the generation of ensembles of interface structures. RAFFLE leverages physical insights and genetic algorithms to intelligently sample configurations, using dynamically evolving 2-, 3-, and 4-body distribution functions as generalised structural descriptors. These descriptors are refined through active learning to guide atom placement strategies. RAFFLE performs well across diverse systems, including bulk materials, intercalation compounds, and interfaces. It correctly recovers known bulk phases of aluminum and MoS2, and predicts stable phases in intercalation and grain-boundary systems. For Si∣Ge interfaces, it finds intermixed and abrupt structures to be similarly stable. By accelerating interface structure prediction, RAFFLE offers a powerful tool for materials discovery, enabling efficient exploration of complex configuration spaces.

Journal

npj Computational Materials cover
npj Computational Materials
IF:
11.9
Papers:
2.3K
Citations:
1.7W

Organization

D
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Scholars:
1.6K
Papers: 414
Citations: 5