Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing02:39

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

14.5K
Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
14.5K
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes02:58

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

30.5K
Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
30.5K
Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

22.3K
Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
22.3K
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

16.8K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
16.8K
Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer02:48

Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer

48.6K
Ions are atoms or molecules bearing an electrical charge. A cation (a positive ion) forms when a neutral atom loses one or more electrons from its valence shell, and an anion (a negative ion) forms when a neutral atom gains one or more electrons in its valence shell. Compounds composed of ions are called ionic compounds (or salts), and their constituent ions are held together by ionic bonds: electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged cations and anions. 
48.6K
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

19.6K
Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
19.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Perspective on a challenge: Predicting the photochemistry of cyclobutanone.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

MgCl<sub>2</sub>-Mediated Mechanisms of Oxygen Solubility in Molten Chlorides.

Inorganic chemistry·2026
Same author

Anharmonic phonons via quantum thermal bath simulations.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026
Same author

Insights into Cationic Vacancies in a Prussian Blue Analogues Cathode for Enhanced Reversible Sodium Insertion.

JACS Au·2026
Same author

Modeling fission product nucleation in molten NaCl using universal machine-learning potentials.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2026
Same author

Electrolyte Structure Governs Formate Oxidation in Water-in-Salt Systems.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries
11:25

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries

Published on: November 10, 2014

16.2K

Electrically driven first-order phase transition of a 2D ionic crystal at the electrode/electrolyte interface.

Federica Angiolari1,2, Alessandro Coretti3, Mathieu Salanne4,5,6

  • 1Centre Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 12, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Electrode potential drives transitions in adsorbed liquid electrolytes. This study reveals a two-stage crystallization process, from polycrystalline to monocrystalline structures, impacting interfacial capacitance.

Keywords:
electrochemical interfaceelectrolytemolecular dynamicsorder–disorder transition

More Related Videos

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
06:26

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

7.5K
Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating
10:36

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating

Published on: April 12, 2018

11.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries
11:25

In Situ Neutron Powder Diffraction Using Custom-made Lithium-ion Batteries

Published on: November 10, 2014

16.2K
Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
06:26

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

7.5K
Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating
10:36

Electric-field Control of Electronic States in WS2 Nanodevices by Electrolyte Gating

Published on: April 12, 2018

11.9K

Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Electrochemistry

Background:

  • Liquid electrolytes at metal electrode interfaces exhibit complex structures distinct from bulk.
  • Electrode potential is a key factor in disorder-order and order-order transitions within adsorbed layers.
  • Microscopic mechanisms and free energy changes during these transitions are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the crystallization process of adsorbed layers at molten salt-metal interfaces.
  • Elucidate the stages and driving forces behind electrolyte ordering on electrode surfaces.
  • Characterize the free energy variations and interfacial capacitance changes during transitions.

Main Methods:

  • Simulated a prototypical molten salt-metal interface.
  • Analyzed the transition from disordered to ordered adsorbed structures.
  • Utilized finite-size effects analysis to determine transition order.

Main Results:

  • Observed a two-stage transition: initial preordering into polycrystalline structures, followed by abrupt monocrystalline ordering.
  • Preordering effects showed characteristics of a continuous transition.
  • Finite-size analysis confirmed the first-order nature of the transition to a monocrystalline state.
  • Increasing system size shifted the onset voltage and significantly raised the free energy barrier.

Conclusions:

  • Electrolyte ordering on metal electrodes is a multi-stage process driven by electrode potential.
  • Interfacial capacitance peaks sharpen with increasing system size, reflecting the free energy barrier.
  • Understanding these transitions is crucial for controlling interfacial properties in electrochemical systems.