Supercooled liquids and the glass transition
TL;DR: Current theoretical knowledge of the manner in which intermolecular forces give rise to complex behaviour in supercooled liquids and glasses is discussed.
Abstract: Glasses are disordered materials that lack the periodicity of crystals but behave mechanically like solids. The most common way of making a glass is by cooling a viscous liquid fast enough to avoid crystallization. Although this route to the vitreous state-supercooling-has been known for millennia, the molecular processes by which liquids acquire amorphous rigidity upon cooling are not fully understood. Here we discuss current theoretical knowledge of the manner in which intermolecular forces give rise to complex behaviour in supercooled liquids and glasses. An intriguing aspect of this behaviour is the apparent connection between dynamics and thermodynamics. The multidimensional potential energy surface as a function of particle coordinates (the energy landscape) offers a convenient viewpoint for the analysis and interpretation of supercooling and glass-formation phenomena. That much of this analysis is at present largely qualitative reflects the fact that precise computations of how viscous liquids sample their landscape have become possible only recently.
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TL;DR: This review looks at the unique property combination that characterizes phase-change materials, in particular the contrast between the amorphous and crystalline states, and the origin of the fast crystallization kinetics.
Abstract: Phase-change materials are some of the most promising materials for data-storage applications. They are already used in rewriteable optical data storage and offer great potential as an emerging non-volatile electronic memory. This review looks at the unique property combination that characterizes phase-change materials. The crystalline state often shows an octahedral-like atomic arrangement, frequently accompanied by pronounced lattice distortions and huge vacancy concentrations. This can be attributed to the chemical bonding in phase-change alloys, which is promoted by p-orbitals. From this insight, phase-change alloys with desired properties can be designed. This is demonstrated for the optical properties of phase-change alloys, in particular the contrast between the amorphous and crystalline states. The origin of the fast crystallization kinetics is also discussed.
2,985 citations
TL;DR: The findings together suggest that several membrane-less organelles have been shown to exhibit a concentration threshold for assembly, a hallmark of phase separation, and represent liquid-phase condensates, which form via a biologically regulated (liquid-liquid) phase separation process.
Abstract: BACKGROUND Living cells contain distinct subcompartments to facilitate spatiotemporal regulation of biological reactions. In addition to canonical membrane-bound organelles such as secretory vesicles and endoplasmic reticulum, there are many organelles that do not have an enclosing membrane yet remain coherent structures that can compartmentalize and concentrate specific sets of molecules. Examples include assemblies in the nucleus such as the nucleolus, Cajal bodies, and nuclear speckles and also cytoplasmic structures such as stress granules, P-bodies, and germ granules. These structures play diverse roles in various biological processes and are also increasingly implicated in protein aggregation diseases. ADVANCES A number of studies have shown that membrane-less assemblies exhibit remarkable liquid-like features. As with conventional liquids, they typically adopt round morphologies and coalesce into a single droplet upon contact with one another and also wet intracellular surfaces such as the nuclear envelope. Moreover, component molecules exhibit dynamic exchange with the surrounding nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. These findings together suggest that these structures represent liquid-phase condensates, which form via a biologically regulated (liquid-liquid) phase separation process. Liquid phase condensation increasingly appears to be a fundamental mechanism for organizing intracellular space. Consistent with this concept, several membrane-less organelles have been shown to exhibit a concentration threshold for assembly, a hallmark of phase separation. At the molecular level, weak, transient interactions between molecules with multivalent domains or intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are a driving force for phase separation. In cells, condensation of liquid-phase assemblies can be regulated by active processes, including transcription and various posttranslational modifications. The simplest physical picture of a homogeneous liquid phase is often not enough to capture the full complexity of intracellular condensates, which frequently exhibit heterogeneous multilayered structures with partially solid-like characters. However, recent studies have shown that multiple distinct liquid phases can coexist and give rise to richly structured droplet architectures determined by the relative liquid surface tensions. Moreover, solid-like phases can emerge from metastable liquid condensates via multiple routes of potentially both kinetic and thermodynamic origins, which has important implications for the role of intracellular liquids in protein aggregation pathologies. OUTLOOK The list of intracellular assemblies driven by liquid phase condensation is growing rapidly, but our understanding of their sequence-encoded biological function and dysfunction lags behind. Moreover, unlike equilibrium phases of nonliving matter, living cells are far from equilibrium, with intracellular condensates subject to various posttranslational regulation and other adenosine triphosphate–dependent biological activity. Efforts using in vitro reconstitution, combined with traditional cell biology approaches and quantitative biophysical tools, are required to elucidate how such nonequilibrium features of living cells control intracellular phase behavior. The functional consequences of forming liquid condensates are likely multifaceted and may include facilitated reaction, sequestration of specific factors, and organization of associated intracellular structures. Liquid phase condensation is particularly interesting in the nucleus, given the growing interest in the impact of nuclear phase behavior on the flow of genetic information; nuclear condensates range from micrometer-sized bodies such as the nucleolus to submicrometer structures such as transcriptional assemblies, all of which directly interact with and regulate the genome. Deepening our understanding of these intracellular states of matter not only will shed light on the basic biology of cellular organization but also may enable therapeutic intervention in protein aggregation disease by targeting intracellular phase behavior.
2,432 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a theoretical perspective is provided on the glass transition in molecular liquids at thermal equilibrium, on the spatially heterogeneous and aging dynamics of disordered materials, and on the rheology of soft glassy materials.
Abstract: A theoretical perspective is provided on the glass transition in molecular liquids at thermal equilibrium, on the spatially heterogeneous and aging dynamics of disordered materials, and on the rheology of soft glassy materials. We start with a broad introduction to the field and emphasize its connections with other subjects and its relevance. The important role played by computer simulations in studying and understanding the dynamics of systems close to the glass transition at the molecular level is given. The recent progress on the subject of the spatially heterogeneous dynamics that characterizes structural relaxation in materials with slow dynamics is reviewed. The main theoretical approaches are presented describing the glass transition in supercooled liquids, focusing on theories that have a microscopic, statistical mechanics basis. We describe both successes and failures and critically assess the current status of each of these approaches. The physics of aging dynamics in disordered materials and the rheology of soft glassy materials are then discussed, and recent theoretical progress is described. For each section, an extensive overview is given of the most recent advances, but we also describe in some detail the important open problems that will occupy a central place in this field in the coming years.
1,774 citations
Cites background from "Supercooled liquids and the glass t..."
...…normalized by its value at the melting temperature, is plotted as a function of T , a remarkable connection with the dynamics, in particular the VFT law, emerges (see (Martinez and Angell, 2001) for a compilation of experimental data and (Debenedetti and Stillinger, 2001) for a discussion)....
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...Striking ones have been presented, but many others have been left out for lack of space (Angell, 1995; Debenedetti and Stillinger, 2001; Debenedetti, 1996; Binder and Kob, 2005)....
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...A connection was empirically established between fragility and degree of non-exponentiality, more fragile liquids being characterized by broader relaxation spectra (Debenedetti and Stillinger, 2001), although the correlation is—again—not very solid (Heuer, 2008)....
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...Yet, a deep microscopic understanding of the glassy state of matter remains a challenge for condensed matter physicists (Angell, 1995; Debenedetti and Stillinger, 2001)....
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TL;DR: On the bicentenary of the publication of Poisson's Traité de Mécanique, the continuing relevance of Poissons's ratio in the understanding of the mechanical characteristics of modern materials is reviewed.
Abstract: In comparing a material's resistance to distort under mechanical load rather than to alter in volume, Poisson's ratio offers the fundamental metric by which to compare the performance of any material when strained elastically. The numerical limits are set by ½ and -1, between which all stable isotropic materials are found. With new experiments, computational methods and routes to materials synthesis, we assess what Poisson's ratio means in the contemporary understanding of the mechanical characteristics of modern materials. Central to these recent advances, we emphasize the significance of relationships outside the elastic limit between Poisson's ratio and densification, connectivity, ductility and the toughness of solids; and their association with the dynamic properties of the liquids from which they were condensed and into which they melt.
1,625 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the tremendous efforts over the past 50 years devoted to unraveling the atomic-level structure of MGs and the structural origin of their unique behaviors.
1,276 citations
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TL;DR: On the other hand, in this paper, a superparamagnetically collapsed Mossbauer spectrum is obtained for carbon with fewer active sites, and these particles sinter and carburize in a manner more similar to that of Fe particles supported on graphite.
Abstract: on carbon. These particles can interact with the active sites of the carbon to form a species a t the metal-carbon interface which is stable against high-temperature reduction. This interaction may occur via oxygen atoms bonding with both the carbon surface and iron atoms contacting the carbon. This oxygen could be provided by dissociation of the C O ligands during decomposition. The remainder of the surface Fe can exist in either a reduced or carburized state, but the small size of these particles results in either case in a superparamagnetically collapsed Mossbauer spectrum. For carbons with fewer active sites, more of the particles are unbound, and these particles sinter and carburize in a manner more similar to that of Fe particles supported on graphite.
11,221 citations
6,510 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a molecularkinetic theory was proposed to explain the temperature dependence of relaxation behavior in glass-forming liquids in terms of the temperature variation of the size of the cooperatively rearranging region.
Abstract: A molecular‐kinetic theory, which explains the temperature dependence of relaxation behavior in glass‐forming liquids in terms of the temperature variation of the size of the cooperatively rearranging region, is presented. The size of this cooperatively rearranging region is shown to be determined by configuration restrictions in these glass‐forming liquids and is expressed in terms of their configurational entropy. The result of the theory is a relation practically coinciding with the empirical WLF equation. Application of the theory to viscosimetric experiments permits evaluation of the ratio of the kinetic glass temperature Tg (derived from usual ``quasistatic'' experiments) to the equilibrium second‐order transition temperature T2 (indicated by either statistical‐mechanical theory or extrapolations of experimental data) as well as the hindrance‐free energy per molecule. These parameters have been evaluated for fifteen substances, the experimental data for which were available. Hindrance‐free energies ...
5,037 citations
TL;DR: The onset of a sharp change in ddT( is the Debye-Waller factor and T is temperature) in proteins, which is controversially indentified with the glass transition in liquids, is shown to be general for glass formers and observable in computer simulations of strong and fragile ionic liquids, where it proves to be close to the experimental glass transition temperature.
Abstract: Glasses can be formed by many routes. In some cases, distinct polyamorphic forms are found. The normal mode of glass formation is cooling of a viscous liquid. Liquid behavior during cooling is classified between "strong" and "fragile," and the three canonical characteristics of relaxing liquids are correlated through the fragility. Strong liquids become fragile liquids on compression. In some cases, such conversions occur during cooling by a weak first-order transition. This behavior can be related to the polymorphism in a glass state through a recent simple modification of the van der Waals model for tetrahedrally bonded liquids. The sudden loss of some liquid degrees of freedom through such first-order transitions is suggestive of the polyamorphic transition between native and denatured hydrated proteins, which can be interpreted as single-chain glass-forming polymers plasticized by water and cross-linked by hydrogen bonds. The onset of a sharp change in d dT( is the Debye-Waller factor and T is temperature) in proteins, which is controversially indentified with the glass transition in liquids, is shown to be general for glass formers and observable in computer simulations of strong and fragile ionic liquids, where it proves to be close to the experimental glass transition temperature. The latter may originate in strong anharmonicity in modes ("bosons"), which permits the system to access multiple minima of its configuration space. These modes, the Kauzmann temperature T(K), and the fragility of the liquid, may thus be connected.
4,016 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the empirical dielectric decay function γ(t)= exp −(t/τ 0)β was transformed analytically to give the frequency dependent complex dielectrics constant if β is chosen to be 0.50 in the range log(ωτ0) > −0.5.
Abstract: The empirical dielectric decay function γ(t)= exp –(t/τ0)β may be transformed analytically to give the frequency dependent complex dielectric constant if β is chosen to be 0.50. The resulting dielectric constant and dielectric loss curves are non-symmetrical about the logarithm of the frequency of maximum loss, and are intermediate between the Cole-Cole and Davidson-Cole empirical relations. Using a short extrapolation procedure, good agreement is obtained between the empirical representation and the experimental curves for the α relaxation in polyethyl acrylate. It is suggested that the present representation would have a general application to the α relaxations in other polymers. The Hamon approximation, with a small applied correction, is valid for the present function with β= 0.50 in the range log(ωτ0) > –0.5, but cannot be used at lower frequencies.
3,675 citations