Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Crystal-like high frequency phonons in the amorphous phases of solid water
Abstract:
The high frequency dynamics of low-density (LDA) and high-density (HDA) amorphous ice and of cubic ice ( I(c)) has been measured by inelastic x-ray scattering in the 1-15 nm(-1) momentum transfer ( Q) range. Sharp phononlike excitations are observed, and the longitudinal acoustic branch is identified up to Q = 8 nm(-1) in LDA and I(c) and up to 5 nm(-1) in HDA. The narrow width of these excitations is in sharp contrast to the broad features observed in all amorphous systems studied so far. The "crystal-like" behavior of amorphous ices, therefore, implies a considerable reduction in the number of decay channels available to soundlike excitations which is interpreted as a sign of low local disorder.
More Related Videos
07:48An Externally-Heated Diamond Anvil Cell for Synthesis and Single-Crystal Elasticity Determination of Ice-VII at High Pressure-Temperature Conditions
Published on: June 18, 2020
10:25Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid
Published on: December 20, 2016
Related Concept Videos
States of Water
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Determination of Crystal Structures
Molecular and Ionic Solids
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
Crystal Density