Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
06:26
Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
6.4K
Wall-induced phase transition controlled by layering freezing.
Huijun Zhang1, Shuming Peng2, Xinggui Long2
1School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China and Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, China.
Summary
Molecular dynamics simulations reveal how attractive surfaces influence phase transitions. The wall-particle attraction strength dictates crystallization, altering plane orientation and transition order near the surface.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Computational Chemistry
Background:
- Crystallization is influenced by external factors.
- Attractive surfaces are known to facilitate crystal formation.
- Understanding surface-induced phase transitions is crucial for materials design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of wall-particle interaction strength on phase transitions.
- To identify critical parameters governing surface-influenced phase behavior.
- To elucidate the mechanisms of crystallization at a smooth, attractive surface.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing molecular dynamics simulations.
- Employing the Lennard-Jones model for particle interactions.
- Systematically varying the wall-particle attraction strength (α).
Main Results:
- Phase behavior is critically dependent on the wall-particle attraction strength (α).
- Three critical ratios (αp, αw, αc) define distinct phase behaviors.
- Observed phenomena include plane rotation, altered transition sequences, and continuous phase transitions near the surface.
Conclusions:
- Bulk freezing occurs independently of surface-induced freezing.
- Surface attraction significantly modifies phase transition characteristics.
- Strongly attractive surfaces show minimal dependence during heating processes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:39Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
11.7K
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...
11.7K
02:33Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
16.0K
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...
16.0K
02:31Phase Transitions
19.1K
Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
19.1K
01:21Phase Transitions
108
A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...
108
02:39Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
16.9K
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...
16.9K
01:19Phase Changes
3.7K
Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...
3.7K