Abstract
AbstractThe first-order phase transition between two tetrahedral networks of different density—introduced as a hypothesis to account for the anomalous behaviour of certain thermodynamic properties of deeply supercooled water—has received strong support from a growing body of work in recent years. Here we show that this liquid–liquid phase transition in tetrahedral networks can be described as a transition between an unentangled, low-density liquid and an entangled, high-density liquid, the latter containing an ensemble of topologically complex motifs. We first reveal this distinction in a rationally designed colloidal analogue of water. We show that this colloidal water model displays the well-known water thermodynamic anomalies as well as a liquid–liquid critical point. We then investigate water, employing two widely used molecular models, to demonstrate that there is also a clear topological distinction between its two supercooled liquid networks, thereby establishing the generality of this observation, which might have far-reaching implications for understanding liquid–liquid phase transitions in tetrahedral liquids.
Funder
University of Birmingham
Royal Society
RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Physics and Astronomy
Cited by
37 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献