Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Observation of fragile-to-strong liquid transition in surface water in CeO2
1NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8562, USA. mamontov@nist.gov
Abstract:
A quasielastic neutron-scattering experiment carried out on a backscattering spectrometer with sub-micro eV resolution in the temperature range of 200-250 K has revealed the dynamics of surface water in cerium oxide on the time scale of hundreds of picoseconds. This slow dynamics is attributed to the translational mobility of the water molecules in contact with the surface hydroxyl groups. The relaxation function of this slow motion can be described by a slightly stretched exponential with the stretch factor exceeding 0.9, which indicates almost a Debye-type dynamics. Down to about 220 K, the temperature dependence of the residence time for water molecules follows a Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman law with the glass transition temperature of 181 K. At lower temperatures, the residence time behavior abruptly changes, indicating a fragile-to-strong liquid transition in surface water at about 215 K.
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Fluidity
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...
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...
Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems
Liquid–Solid Solutions
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies with...

