Minimal Microscopic Model for Liquid Polyamorphism and Waterlike Anomalies.

Area of Science:

• Physical Chemistry
• Thermodynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Liquid polyamorphism describes a single substance existing in multiple liquid phases.
• Understanding polyamorphism is crucial for explaining anomalous properties of liquids like supercooled water.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a minimal theoretical model for liquid polyamorphism.
• To investigate the phase behavior of a single-component fluid with two interconverting species.
• To provide a unified framework for anomalous liquid behavior.

Main Methods:

• Developed a binary lattice model with critical azeotropy and liquid-liquid demixing.
• Introduced interconversion between the two species to form a single-component fluid.
• Analyzed the phase diagram of the noninterconverting binary mixture to understand the interconverting fluid's behavior.

Main Results:

• The model reveals accessible phase behaviors for the interconverting fluid, including liquid-liquid transitions and singularity-free scenarios.
• Thermodynamic anomalies can occur even without polyamorphism.
• The model successfully describes supercooled water and other polyamorphic liquids with waterlike anomalies.

Conclusions:

• The proposed minimal model offers a unified theoretical framework for liquid polyamorphism.
• It provides insights into the thermodynamic anomalies observed in various liquids.
• The model is applicable to supercooled water and other polyamorphic systems.