Evidence for a liquid-solid critical point in a simple monatomic system
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: It is commonly believed that the transition line separating a liquid and a solid cannot be interrupted by a critical point. This opinion is based on the traditional symmetry argument that an isotropic liquid cannot be continuously transformed into a crystal with a discrete rotational and translational symmetry. We present here a molecular-dynamics simulation of a simple monatomic system suggesting the existence of a liquid-solid spinodal terminating at a critical point. We show that, in the critical region, the isotropic liquid continuously transforms into a phase with a mesoscopic order similar to that of the smectic liquid crystals. We argue that the existence of both the spinodal and the critical point can be explained by the close structural proximity between the mesophase and the crystal. This indicates a possibility of finding a similar thermodynamic behavior in gelating colloids, liquid crystals, and polymers.
Source: The Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI: 10.1063/1.3213616
Authors: Måns Elenius, Mikhail Dzugutov
Institution: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,500
OpenAlex ID: W1595928576