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Updated: Aug 6, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Interfacial Properties of Fluids Exhibiting Liquid Polyamorphism and Water-Like Anomalies
Thomas J Longo1, Sergey V Buldyrev2,3, Mikhail A Anisimov1,4
1Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States.
Abstract:
It has been hypothesized that liquid polyamorphism, the existence of multiple amorphous states in a single-component substance, may be caused by molecular or supramolecular interconversion. A simple microscopic model [Caupin and Anisimov, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2021, 127, 185701] introduces interconversion in a compressible binary lattice to generate various thermodynamic scenarios for fluids that exhibit liquid polyamorphism and/or water-like anomalies. Using this model, we demonstrate the dramatic effects of interconversion on the interfacial properties. In particular, we find that the liquid-vapor surface tension exhibits either an inflection point or two extrema in its temperature dependence. Correspondingly, we observe anomalous behavior of the interfacial thickness and a significant shift in the location of the concentration profile with respect to the location of the density profile.
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