Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.
521 citations
h-index: 13
i10-index: 15
updated 2026-10-01

corresponding author

Journal Articles

2026

[29] From compressed- to stretched-exponential dynamics in metallic glass Accepted

Accepted in Physical Review B · October 2026

Birte Riechers, Achraf Atila, Reza Rashidi, Fabian Westermeier, Michael Sprung, Robert Maaß

My role: Co-conceived and designed the study; performed the simulations and their analysis; co-wrote the manuscript.

Study of the crossover from compressed- to stretched-exponential relaxation dynamics in a metallic glass.

[28] Supporting AI Readiness through Digital Workflows in Materials Science

Advanced Engineering Materials · 2026

Marian Bruns, Lateef Abdul, Stephan Barth, …, Achraf Atila, …, Jörg Schaarschmidt (68 authors)

My role: Wrote the initial draft of the GlasAgent contribution.

Review of 13 MaterialDigital workflow contributions, showing how explicit, reusable, and machine-actionable digital workflows support AI-readiness in materials science.

[27] Icosahedral short-range order suppresses thermal expansion in metallic glasses

Physical Review Materials · 2026

Hajar Boutnala, Hayat Haouas, Achraf Atila, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Co-conceived the study; performed parts of the simulations and analysis; substantially rewrote the initial draft; revised the manuscript together with H. Boutnala.

Atomistic simulations demonstrating that icosahedral short-range order is responsible for suppressing thermal expansion in metallic glasses.

[26] Defect-like Packing and Structural Disorder in Monoatomic Metallic Glasses

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids · 2026

Adil Houba, Mohamed El Ayoubi, Achraf Atila, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Co-conceived the study; suggested some of the analyses; revised the manuscript.

Investigation of defect-like packing motifs and structural disorder in monoatomic metallic glasses using atomistic simulations.

[25] Solute co-segregation mechanisms at low-angle grain boundaries in magnesium: A combined atomic-scale experimental and modeling study

Acta Materialia · 2026

Risheng Pei, Joé Petrazroller, Achraf Atila, …, Talal Al-Samman (13 authors)

My role: Contributed to the investigation; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Co-segregation of Ca, Zn, and Al at low-angle grain boundaries in a Mg-AZX010 alloy revealed by 3D atom probe tomography and atomistic simulations, showing Ca preferentially segregates to tensile dislocation regions.

2025

[24] Revealing the void-size distribution of silica glass using persistent homology

Materialia · 2025

Achraf Atila, Yasser Bakhouch, Zhuocheng Xie

My role: Conceived and supervised the study; co-developed the methodology and software; carried out the investigation and formal analysis; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

Atomistic simulations combined with persistent homology reveal pressure-dependent topological transitions in medium-range order and cavity distributions of silica glass, providing an unbiased metric for void-size analysis beyond ring statistics.

[23] Cold self-lubrication of sliding ice

Physical Review Letters · 2025

Achraf Atila, Sergey V. Sukhomlinov, Martin H. Müser

My role: Performed the simulations; co-developed the methodology; co-curated the data; prepared the figures; co-acquired computing time; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

[22] Predicting grain boundary segregation in magnesium alloys: An atomistically informed machine learning approach

Journal of Magnesium and Alloys · 2025

Zhuocheng Xie, Achraf Atila, Julien Guénolé, Sandra Korte-Kerzel, Talal Al-Samman, Ulrich Kerzel

My role: Contributed to the methodology, investigation and formal analysis; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Atomistic simulations combined with machine learning accurately predict grain boundary segregation thermodynamics in polycrystalline Mg, identifying hydrostatic stress and flexibility volume as key descriptors and highlighting Nd's strong segregation tendency for grain boundary engineering.

[21] Plasticity of metallic glasses dictated by their state at the fragile-to-strong transition temperature

Acta Materialia · 2025

Achraf Atila, Sergey V. Sukhomlinov, Marc J. Honecker, Martin H. Müser

My role: Conceived the study; co-developed the methodology; carried out the investigation, simulations, and formal analysis; prepared the figures; wrote the original draft and revised the manuscript.

Large-scale MD simulations of Zr-Cu-Al bulk metallic glasses reveal a quasi-discontinuous change in plastic response as the quench temperature crosses the fragile-to-strong transition, with strong glasses developing asymmetric shear bands absent in fragile glasses.

2024

[20] On the relationship between water adsorption and surface chemistry in soda‐lime silicate glasses

ChemPhysChem · 2024

Achraf Atila

My role: Sole author; conceived the study, performed the simulations and analysis, and wrote the manuscript.

Classical and reactive MD simulations show that soda-lime silicate glass surfaces are enriched in modifier cations and non-bridging oxygens, with higher Na₂O content increasing surface reactivity and water adsorption energy.

[19] Short and medium range order in the rapidly solidified metallic liquid Ta: Atomic packing, connection modes, and pressure effect

Materialia · 2024

Adil Houba, Mohamed El Ayoubi, Abdellali Samiri, Achraf Atila, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Contributed to the conceptualization; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

MD simulations reveal that rapidly solidified Ta forms glassy states at pressures ≤20 GPa dominated by icosahedral clusters, while higher pressures favor crystal-like structures, with distinct inter-cluster connection modes leaving identifiable signatures in the radial distribution function.

[18] On the structure and icosahedral interconnectivity in Tantalum monatomic glass produced under pressure

Physica Scripta · 2024

Meryem Kbirou, Achraf Atila, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Co-conceived and co-supervised the study; co-developed the methodology; carried out parts of the investigation; revised the manuscript.

MD simulations of pressure-cooled Ta metallic glass show that increasing pressure disrupts icosahedral short-range order and favors intercross-sharing connectivity between clusters, with crystalline grains nucleating above 20 GPa.

[17] The origin of phase separation in binary aluminosilicate glasses

Materialia · 2024

Houssam Kharouji, Abdellatif Hasnaoui, Achraf Atila

My role: Conceived and supervised the study; developed the methodology; carried out the investigation, formal analysis, validation and data curation; prepared the figures; co-wrote and revised the manuscript.

Large-scale MD simulations show that nanoscale phase separation in aluminosilicate glasses originates from repulsion between SiO₄ and AlOₙ polyhedra, peaking near 50 mol% Al₂O₃ and becoming pronounced near the glass transition temperature.

[16] Pressure‐driven homogenization of lithium disilicate glasses

Journal of the American Ceramic Society · 2024

Yasser Bakhouch, Silvio Buchner, Rafael Abel Silveira, Leonardo Resende, Altair Soria Pereira, Abdellatif Hasnaoui, Achraf Atila

My role: Conceived and supervised the study; developed the methodology; carried out the investigation, formal analysis, validation and data curation; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations supported by experiments show that cooling lithium disilicate glass under pressure suppresses phase separation by reducing Li-cation clustering, with heterogeneity nearly vanishing at ~30 GPa.

[15] Atomistic origins of deformation-induced structural anisotropy in metaphosphate glasses and its influence on mechanical properties

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids · 2024

Achraf Atila, Erik Bitzek

My role: Co-conceived the study; developed the methodology and software; carried out the investigation and formal analysis; prepared the figures; wrote the original draft and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations reveal that deformation-induced anisotropy in metaphosphate glasses originates from preferred alignment of tetrahedral units at short- and medium-range order, reducing Young's modulus along the pre-deformation axis.

[14] Topology of anisotropic glasses from persistent homology analysis

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids · 2024

Zhiwen Pan, Achraf Atila, Erik Bitzek, Lothar Wondraczek

My role: Contributed to the investigation, validation, data curation and figures; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Persistent homology analysis of strained SiO₂-Na₂O glasses reveals that tensile anisotropy strongly alters ring topology of the Si-O backbone while cavity statistics recover fully after fracture, distinguishing entropic orientation from irreversible structural change.

[13] Exploring solute behavior and texture selection in magnesium alloys at the atomistic level

Acta Materialia · 2024

F. Mouhib, Zhuocheng Xie, Achraf Atila, Julien Guénolé, Sandra Korte-Kerzel, Talal Al-Samman

My role: Contributed to the analysis; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Atomic-scale experiments and ab initio calculations reveal how Ca and Gd solutes interact differently with grain boundaries and Zn in Mg alloys, linking solute-boundary binding strength to grain boundary mobility and texture selection.

2023

[12] The origin of deformation induced topological anisotropy in silica glass

Acta Materialia · 2023

Sudheer Ganisetti, Achraf Atila, Julien Guénolé, Aruna Prakash, Jürgen Horbach, Lothar Wondraczek, Erik Bitzek

My role: Performed additional analysis; co-wrote the original draft with E. Bitzek; contributed to the discussion and editing of the manuscript.

MD simulations reveal that deformation-induced anisotropy in silica glass originates from preferred orientation of SiO₄ tetrahedra at short- and medium-range, with both persistent and transient effects depending on the loading mode.

[11] The boson peak in silicate glasses: insight from molecular dynamics

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · 2023

Ahmed El Hamdaoui, El Mehdi Ghardi, Achraf Atila, Hicham Jabraoui, Michael Badawi, Abdellatif Hasnaoui, Said Ouaskit

My role: Contributed to the conceptualization, the interpretation of the results, and the writing of the manuscript.

MD simulations of binary and ternary silicate glasses correlate the boson peak intensity with Voronoi volume and vibrational mean square displacement of Q⁴ units, and reveal anomalous behavior of Li₂O acting as a pseudo-intermediate oxide rather than a modifier.

[10] Unveiling the mechanisms of motion of synchro-Shockley dislocations in Laves phases

Physical Review Materials · 2023

Zhuocheng Xie, Dimitri Chauraud, Achraf Atila, Erik Bitzek, Sandra Korte-Kerzel, Julien Guénolé

My role: Performed preliminary simulations; contributed to the discussion and interpretation of the results; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Atomistic simulations identify kink-pair nucleation and propagation as the dominant motion mechanism of synchro-Shockley dislocations in Laves phases, assisted by vacancies and antisite defects, with a second dislocation type moving via nonsequential atomic shuffling.

[9] Thermally activated nature of synchro-Shockley dislocations in Laves phases

Scripta Materialia · 2023

Zhuocheng Xie, Dimitri Chauraud, Achraf Atila, Erik Bitzek, Sandra Korte-Kerzel, Julien Guénolé

My role: Performed preliminary simulations; contributed to the discussion and interpretation of the results; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Atomistic simulations identify shear-sensitive and shear-insensitive transition events in synchro-Shockley dislocation motion in Laves phases, showing that thermal assistance is essential for shear-insensitive events, prohibiting dislocation motion at low temperatures.

2022

[8] Density-diffusion relationship in soda-lime phosphosilicate

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids · 2022

Youssef Ouldhnini, Achraf Atila, Said Ouaskit, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Conceived and supervised the study; developed the methodology and software; contributed to the investigation, formal analysis, validation and data curation; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations of 45S5 bioactive glass show that increasing density strongly suppresses Na mobility in three distinct regimes, providing a route to control ion release in bioactive glasses through density engineering.

[7] Atomistic insights into the mixed-alkali effect in phosphosilicate glasses

Physical Review B · 2022

Achraf Atila, Youssef Ouldhnini, Said Ouaskit, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Conceived the study; developed the methodology; performed the simulations and analysis; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations reveal that substituting Na with Li or K in 45S5 bioactive glass leaves network connectivity unchanged but strongly modifies elastic moduli and ion mobility, with no mixed-alkali effect observed and field strength governing property changes.

2021

[6] Atomistic insights into the structure and elasticity of densified 45S5 bioactive glasses

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · 2021

Youssef Ouldhnini, Achraf Atila, Said Ouaskit, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Conceived and supervised the study; developed the methodology and software; contributed to the investigation, formal analysis, validation and data curation; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations show that densifying 45S5 bioactive glass repolymerizes the network via tetrahedral-to-octahedral transitions, enabling elastic properties to be tailored while preserving bioactivity.

2020

[5] On the presence of nanoscale heterogeneity in Al₇₀Ni₁₅Co₁₅ metallic glass under pressure

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids · 2020

Achraf Atila, Meryem Kbirou, Said Ouaskit, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Conceived the study; developed the methodology; performed the simulations and their analysis, validation and data curation; prepared the figures; co-wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations reveal that Al₇₀Ni₁₅Co₁₅ metallic glass exhibits nanoscale structural heterogeneity that evolves with applied pressure, with icosahedral-like clusters playing a key role in the pressure-dependent structural changes.

[4] Ionic self-diffusion and the glass transition anomaly in aluminosilicates

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · 2020

Achraf Atila, Said Ouaskit, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Conceived the study; developed the methodology; performed the simulations and analysis; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations of aluminosilicate glasses reveal an anomalous non-monotonic dependence of ionic self-diffusion on Al₂O₃ content near the glass transition, linked to structural changes in network connectivity and modifier ion environments.

2019

[3] Computational insights into the structure of barium titanosilicate glasses

Journal of the American Ceramic Society · 2019

El Mehdi Ghardi, Achraf Atila, Michael Badawi, Abdellatif Hasnaoui, Said Ouaskit

My role: Contributed to the conceptualization; performed the simulations; contributed to the analysis; reviewed and edited the manuscript.

MD simulations of barium titanosilicate glasses show that Ti acts as a network former in fivefold coordination, with Ba and Ti content systematically controlling network connectivity, mechanical properties, and medium-range structure.

[2] Atomistic insights into the impact of charge balancing cations on the structure and properties of aluminosilicate glasses

Physical Review B · 2019

Achraf Atila, El Mehdi Ghardi, Said Ouaskit, Abdellatif Hasnaoui

My role: Conceived the study; developed the methodology; performed the simulations and analysis; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations show that charge balancing cations (Ca, Mg, Ba, Sr) systematically modify the network connectivity, mechanical properties, and short-to-medium range structure of aluminosilicate glasses through their differing field strengths.

[1] Alumina effect on the structure and properties of calcium aluminosilicate in the percalcic region: A molecular dynamics investigation

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids · 2019

Achraf Atila, El Mehdi Ghardi, Abdellatif Hasnaoui, Said Ouaskit

My role: Conceived the study; developed the methodology; performed the simulations and analysis; prepared the figures; wrote and revised the manuscript.

MD simulations reveal how increasing Al₂O₃ content modifies the structure, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties of calcium aluminosilicate glasses in the percalcic region, highlighting the role of alumina as a network former.

Preprints & Under Review

[4] Load transfer from modifier to network former is linked to fracture toughness in alkali-aluminosilicate glasses

Submitted October 2026

Achraf Atila, Marco Holzer, Andrea de Camargo, Robert Maaß

My role: Conceived the study; performed the simulations and their analysis; prepared the figures; wrote the original draft.

Study linking load transfer from modifier cations to the network-former backbone with fracture toughness in alkali-aluminosilicate glasses.

[3] Competing Bond Dynamics Govern the Brittle-to-Ductile Transition in Amorphous Silica under Compression

Submitted April 2026

Achraf Atila, Sebastian Bruns, Karsten Durst, Erik Bitzek

My role: Co-conceived the study; performed the simulations and their analysis; co-wrote and revised the manuscript.

Molecular dynamics study revealing how competing bond dynamics control the brittle-to-ductile transition in amorphous silica under compressive loading.

[2] Microstructure-specific mechanisms define multistage relaxation dynamics in a metallic model-glass

Submitted July 2025

Achraf Atila, Zengquan Wang, Birte Riechers, Robert Maaß

My role: Contributed to the conceptualization; performed the simulations (initiated by Z. Wang); carried out all analysis and prepared the figures; co-wrote the manuscript with R. Maaß.

Study linking microstructure-specific mechanisms to multistage relaxation dynamics in a metallic model-glass system.

[1] Atomic structure and modifiers clustering in silicate glasses: Effect of modifier cations

arXiv · 2020

Achraf Atila

My role: Sole author; conceived the study, performed the simulations and analysis, and wrote the manuscript.

Molecular dynamics simulations show that the tendency of modifier–modifier clustering in silicate glasses scales with the modifier cation size and the modifier–oxygen bond strength, governing the short- and medium-range structure and opening a route to tune glass properties through the choice of modifier cation.

Thesis

[1] Influence of Structure and Topology on the Deformation Behavior and Fracture of Oxide Glasses

Doctoral Thesis, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg · 2023

My role: Sole author; doctoral research at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg under the supervision of E. Bitzek.

Doctoral thesis using large-scale atomistic simulations to uncover how modifier type, network topology, and pre-deformation history control deformation-induced structural anisotropy and fracture in metaphosphate and silicate oxide glasses.