Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
First-order liquid-liquid phase transition in cerium
1School of Physics, Astronomy and Computational Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA.
Abstract:
We report the first experimental observation of a liquid-liquid phase transition in the monatomic liquid metal cerium, by means of in situ high-pressure high-temperature x-ray diffraction experiments. At 13 GPa, upon increasing temperature from 1550 to 1900 K high-density liquid transforms to a low-density liquid, with a density difference of 14%. Theoretic models based on ab initio calculations are built to investigate the observed phase behavior of the liquids at various pressures. The results suggest that the transition primarily originates from the delocalization of f electrons and is deemed to be of the first order that terminates at a critical point.
Related Concept Videos
Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems
Phase Diagrams
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions
Solid–Solid Solutions
Phase Diagram

