Unusual freezing and melting of gallium encapsulated in carbon nanotubes

The freezing and melting behavior of gallium (Ga) encapsulated in carbon nanotubes was investigated through in situ observation in a transmission electron microscope. It is shown that Ga remains liquid up to -80 degrees C when encapsulated in carbon nanotubes. Results of detailed electron diffraction analysis show that the encapsulated Ga can crystallize in either beta phase or gamma phase rather than the common alpha phase upon freezing. Both beta-Ga and gamma-Ga melt at around -20 degrees C. While this is very close to the melting point of bulk beta-Ga (-16 degrees C), it is considerably higher than that of bulk gamma-Ga (-35.6 degrees C). It was observed that upon solidification, Ga has its unique crystallographic orientation relative to the host carbon nanotube.