In collaboration with Payame Noor University and the Iranian Society of Instrumentation and Control Engineers

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, P.O. Box 1159-91775, Mashhad, Iran.

10.30473/coam.2025.75246.1325

Abstract

In irregular coloring, each vertex is labeled with a unique color code, a tuple consisting of its assigned color and the number of neighbors in each color class‎. ‎This work proposes a local search algorithm as a metaheuristic approach to the irregular face coloring problem in planar graphs‎, ‎with a particular focus on fullerene molecular structures‎. ‎Additionally‎, ‎a linear programming model is utilized to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm‎. ‎The methodology demonstrates efficient solutions for irregular coloring in fullerene graphs‎, bridging combinatorial optimization with practical applications in chemistry and materials science‎.‎

Highlights

  • A local search metaheuristic is developed to compute irregular face colorings by assigning distinct color codes to all vertices.
  • An integer linear programming (ILP) formulation is employed to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed heuristic, particularly for large and regular graph instances.
  • The method provides effective irregular face coloring for fullerene graphs, demonstrating the applicability of combinatorial optimization techniques to molecular structures in chemistry and materials science.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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