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Liquid–Solid Solutions

Liquid–Solid Solutions

The process of a solid dissolving in a liquid to form a solution is governed by the solubility limit, which is the maximum amount of the solid substance, or solute, that can be dissolved in a specific volume of the liquid or solvent. As the solute dissolves, it reaches a point where no more solute can be dissolved at a given temperature - this is known as the saturation point. However, if further solute is added and it manages to dissolve, the solution becomes supersaturated. Supersaturated...

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation

Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation

The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...

Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems

Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems

A pressure-composition phase diagram explicitly describes the behavior of an ideal solution of two volatile liquids under varying pressures and compositions. A pressure-composition diagram has two main curves. The bubble point curve represents the plot of pressure versus liquid mole fraction. It indicates the pressure at which the first bubble of vapor forms from the liquid phase as the system pressure decreases.The dew point curve is the pressure versus vapor mole fraction. It indicates the...

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...

Nonideal Two-Component Liquid Solutions

Nonideal Two-Component Liquid Solutions

Nonideal liquid solutions, also known as real solutions, do not strictly follow Raoult's law. Raoult's law is a rule of thumb in physical chemistry. However, not all mixtures adhere to this law due to varying molecular interactions. For example, in an acetone/chloroform solution, the individual vapor pressures of the components are lower than expected, resulting in a total vapor pressure below that predicted by Raoult's law, causing a negative deviation.On the other hand, in an ethanol/water...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

Liquid-liquid transition in supercooled silicon determined by first-principles simulation.

P Ganesh¹, M Widom

¹Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|March 5, 2009

Summary

Supercooled silicon exhibits a liquid-liquid phase transition, forming distinct low-density and high-density liquid states. This transition, driven by pressure and temperature changes, reveals unique structural and electronic properties in elemental silicon.

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Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

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Fabrication of Uniform Nanoscale Cavities via Silicon Direct Wafer Bonding

Fabrication of Uniform Nanoscale Cavities via Silicon Direct Wafer Bonding

Published on: January 9, 2014

Area of Science:

Condensed matter physics
Materials science
Computational physics

Background:

Elemental silicon is a crucial semiconductor material.
Understanding phase transitions in silicon is vital for materials science.
Previous studies have explored silicon's behavior under extreme conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence of a liquid-liquid phase transition in supercooled elemental silicon.
To characterize the properties of the distinct liquid phases.
To elucidate the thermodynamic conditions governing the transition.

Main Methods:

Utilizing first-principles molecular dynamics simulations.
Analyzing pressure-volume isotherms to identify phase transitions.
Characterizing the structural and electronic properties of the coexisting liquid phases.

Main Results:

A liquid-liquid phase transition was identified in supercooled silicon below approximately 1232 K and -12 kB.
Two distinct liquid phases were observed: a low-density, nearly tetracoordinated phase with a pseudogap, and a high-density, metallic phase.
Van der Waals loops in pressure-volume isotherms confirmed the first-order nature of the transition.

Conclusions:

Supercooled elemental silicon undergoes a liquid-liquid phase transition.
The transition involves a change from a semiconducting-like to a metallic-like liquid state.
This finding provides fundamental insights into the complex phase behavior of silicon.