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Researchers discovered dynamic molecular clusters in liquids using NMR relaxometry. These small, ordered clusters, with fewer than ten molecules, are a general phenomenon in liquids and are crucial for understanding crystallization.

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Local molecular ordering in liquids is key to understanding crystallization but remains poorly understood at the molecular scale.
  • Classical nucleation theory (CNT) has limitations in describing small molecular clusters.
  • Current imaging methods lack the spatial resolution to study these phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate the existence of dynamic clusters with short-range orientational order in isotropic liquids.
  • To investigate the role of molecular interactions (polar, steric, hydrogen-bonding) in driving local order.
  • To quantify cluster size and dynamics, particularly near phase transitions.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized NMR relaxometry, a technique capable of probing molecular dynamics and local order.
  • Applied the method to various liquids, including those with specific intermolecular interactions and liquid crystals.
  • Analyzed orientational order fluctuations to infer cluster size and behavior.

Main Results:

  • Confirmed the presence of dynamic clusters, typically containing ten or fewer molecules, in isotropic liquids.
  • Observed that local ordering is driven by diverse intermolecular forces.
  • In liquid crystals, cluster size was found to diverge upon approaching the isotropic-nematic phase transition.

Conclusions:

  • Dynamic clusters with short-range orientational order are a general feature of liquids.
  • NMR relaxometry provides a powerful tool to study these sub-nanoscale phenomena.
  • Understanding these clusters is essential for advancing theories of nucleation and phase transitions.