Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria

Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria

Recrystallization is a purification technique used to separate impurities from solid compounds. In this technique, no chemical reactions occur. Instead, it exploits physical properties only, specifically, the solubility differences between the desired compound and impurities, either at a single temperature or at different temperatures, and under other selected conditions. The solid-solution equilibrium (solubility equilibrium) of each component in the solution represents a binary phase...

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

Crystal Growth: Principles of Crystallization

Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
Initiating crystallization involves manipulating the concentration of the solute and the temperature of the solution. Since crystal growth occurs when the ratio of concentration and solubility of the solute in the solvent – the...

Precipitation Processes

Precipitation Processes

The experimental conditions in a gravimetric analysis should be optimized to maximize the particle size and purity of the obtained precipitate. Ideally, the concentration of the precipitating reagent should be low with effective stirring to maintain low relative supersaturation for the growth of large crystals. In homogeneous precipitation, the precipitant is slowly generated by a chemical reaction in the solution to avoid local reagent excesses. For example, urea decomposes gradually to...

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...

Colloidal precipitates

Colloidal precipitates

The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Direct observation of deformation and resistance to damage accumulation during shock loading of stabilized nanocrystalline Cu-Ta alloys.

Nature communications·2024

Same author

Phase Pattern Formation in Grain Boundaries.

Physical review letters·2024

Same author

Nucleation of Grain Boundary Phases.

Physical review letters·2022

Same author

The Role of Grain Boundary Diffusion in the Solute Drag Effect.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)·2021

Same author

Author Correction: Interface migration by phase transformations.

Nature materials·2021

Same author

Interface migration by phase transformations.

Nature materials·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

Published on: December 4, 2017

Liquid nucleation at superheated grain boundaries.

T Frolov¹, Y Mishin

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, MSN 3F3, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA. tfrolov@gmu.edu

Physical Review Letters

|May 17, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Grain boundaries can melt when superheated, forming liquid droplets. A new thermodynamic model accurately predicts this melting process and critical superheating temperatures, validated by molecular dynamics simulations.

More Related Videos

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Published on: October 16, 2017

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

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

Published on: December 4, 2017

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Liquid-cell Transmission Electron Microscopy for Tracking Self-assembly of Nanoparticles

Published on: October 16, 2017

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

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Thermodynamics
Computational Modeling

Background:

Grain boundaries with low energies can be superheated above their melting point.
Melting occurs via heterogeneous nucleation of liquid droplets.
Classical nucleation theory has limitations for small nuclei.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a thermodynamic model for superheated grain boundary melting.
To predict the critical nucleus size and shape using a variational approach.
To determine the critical superheating temperature.

Main Methods:

A sharp-interface thermodynamic model with a disjoining potential was developed.
A variational approach was used to predict critical nucleus properties.
Molecular dynamics simulations with adiabatic trapping were employed for validation.

Main Results:

The model accurately predicts nucleus shape and size.
It remains valid for both large and small nuclei, unlike classical nucleation theory.
A critical superheating temperature and a formula for its calculation were predicted.

Conclusions:

The proposed thermodynamic model provides a more general description of grain boundary melting.
The model successfully predicts critical superheating phenomena.
Simulation results confirm the model's accuracy and consistency.