Importance of Polarization in Simulations of Condensed Phase Energetic Materials

An embedded cluster model is used to estimate the molecular dipole moment of crystalline dimethylnitramine (DMNA). The electrostatic potential due to the crystal is included in the calculation via the SCREEP (surface charge representation of the electrostatic embedding potential) approach. The resulting dipole moment for DMNA in the crystalline environment is 6.69 D. This number is more than 40% greater than the gas-phase value and 15% greater than the estimated dipole moment in the liquid phase, thus providing evidence of a strong polarization effect in condensed phases of DMNA.