Fast and slow crystal growth kinetics in glass-forming melts

Published values of crystal growth rates are compared for supercooled glass-forming liquids undergoing congruent freezing at a planar crystal-liquid interface. For the purposes of comparison pure metals are considered to be glass-forming systems, using data from molecular-dynamics simulations. For each system, the growth rate has a maximum value U(max) at a temperature T(max) that lies between the glass-transition temperature T(g) and the melting temperature T(m). A classification is suggested, based on the lability (specifically, the propensity for fast crystallization), of the liquid. High-lability systems show "fast" growth characterized by a high U(max), a low T(max)/T(m), and a very broad peak in U vs. T/T(m). In contrast, systems showing "slow" growth have a low U(max), a high T(max)/T(m), and a sharp peak in U vs. T/T(m). Despite the difference of more than 11 orders of magnitude in U(max) seen in pure metals and in silica, the range of glass-forming systems surveyed fit into a common pattern in which the lability increases with lower reduced glass-transition temperature (T(g)/T(m)) and higher fragility of the liquid. A single parameter, a linear combination of T(g)/T(m) and fragility, can show a good correlation with U(max). For all the systems, growth at U(max) is coupled to the atomic/molecular mobility in the liquid. It is found that, across the diversity of glass-forming systems, T(max)/T(g) = 1.48 ± 0.15.