Ab initio prediction of the low-temperature phase diagrams in the systems KBr-NaBr, KX-RbX, and LiX-RbX (X=Cl,Br)

The authors have calculated the low-temperature phase diagrams for the ternary alkali halides KBr-NaBr, KX-RbX, and LiX-RbX (X=Cl,Br) systems on the ab initio level without any recourse to experimental information. Via global exploration of the enthalpy landscapes for many different compositions in these systems, candidates for both ordered stoichiometric modifications and crystalline solid solution phases have been identified. Next, their free enthalpies were computed on ab initio level, and the respective low-temperature phase diagram has been derived. They find miscibility gaps in the systems KBr-NaBr and KX-RbX (X=Cl,Br), while in LiX-RbX (X=Cl,Br) only crystalline ordered phases should be present, in agreement with available experimental data. Furthermore, they predict several new thermodynamically stable and metastable phases in these systems.     

Ab initio prediction of the low-temperature phase diagrams in the systems CsX–LiX (X = F, Cl, Br, I)

We have calculated the low-temperature phase diagrams for the ternary alkali halides CsX–LiX (X = F, Cl, Br, I) at an ab initio level without any recourse to experimental information. The starting point of our general approach is the global exploration of the enthalpy landscapes for many different compositions in these systems. Candidates for both ordered stoichiometric modifications and crystalline solid-solution phases are identified, and their free enthalpies are computed at an ab initio level. From this the low-temperature phase diagrams are derived. We find that in all systems under investigation only crystalline ordered phases should be present, in agreement with available experimental data. Furthermore, we predict several new thermodynamically stable and metastable phases in these systems.     

Ab initio computation of low-temperature phase diagrams exhibiting miscibility gaps

A new methodology for the computation of the low-temperature part of phase diagrams without recourse to any experimental information is presented. A central element is a procedure for deciding whether formation of crystalline solid solution phases can take place in the chemical system. Via global exploration of the enthalpy landscapes for many different compositions in the system, candidates for ordered stoichiometric and crystalline solid solution phases are identified. Next, their free enthalpies are computed at ab initio level and a low-temperature phase diagram is derived. As examples, the low-temperature phase diagrams for the ternary alkali halides NaCl/LiCl NaBr/LiBr and NaCl/KCl are presented.     

The freezing process in methanol-, ethanol-, and propanol-water systems as revealed by differential scanning calorimetry

Solid-liquid phase diagrams, including metastable phases, have been obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for methanol-, ethanol-, and propanol-water systems. The metastable solid phases which are initially formed on cooling were detected for these three systems, in order to analyze the freezing processes and to correlate the formation of the metastable phases with solution structure.     

Phase diagrams of blends of azide-containing polyoxetanes

The mutual solubility of polymers based on the azide-containing oxetane monomers 3,3-bis(azidomethyl)oxetane and 3-azidomethyl-3-methyloxetane is studied. The temperatures of melting, crystallization, glass transition; the upper critical solution temperature; and the compositions of coexisting phases for blends of polymers with different molecular masses are determined via differential scanning calorimetry and multiple-beam microinterferometry. On the basis of these data, the phase diagrams of blends are constructed. The melting regions and the metastable and heterogeneous states are determined. The studied systems are shown to have a complex amorphous-crystalline equilibrium and to differ in the location of boundary curves on the phase diagram, depending on the molecular mass of the components. Amorphous separation below the liquidus line in the metastable region with respect to the crystalline equilibrium is experimentally detected. The motion of the figurative point in different regions of the diagram is thoroughly considered. The specifics of structural and morphological organization of systems are examined via electron microscopy.     

Interactions in the NdF<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-MF<Subscript>2</Subscript> (M = Ba,Sr) systems

Isothermal anneals (at 873 K) and powder X-ray diffraction were used to study isothermal sections of phase diagrams of the NdF₃-Nd₂O₃-MF₂ (M = Ba, Sr) systems. In studying the NdF₃-Nd₂O₃-BaF₂ system, classical solid-phase synthesis was supplemented with mechanochemical activation of feedstock mixtures or BaF₂ activated with gaseous hydrogen fluoride was used. In both systems, a solid solution with the fluorite structure based on MF₂ and NdOF phases, a solid solution with the tysonite structure based on NdF₃, and an ordered fluorite-related phase Ba₄Nd₃F₁₇ were found. The NdOF-based solid solutions were shown to have polymorphism: β_trig ai α_cub at ≈800 K; a new trigonal phase of these solid solutions has been discovered. The effect of a dimensional factor $\left( {R_{Ba^{2 + } } > R_{Sr^{2 + } } } \right)$\left( {R_{Ba^{2 + } } > R_{Sr^{2 + } } } \right) on phase formation and unit cell parameters of the solid solutions was traced.     

Thermotropic phase behaviour of long-chain alkylmaltosides

The thermotropic phase behaviour and phase structure of crystalline and non-crystalline n-tetradecyl-beta-D-maltoside (C14G2) and n-hexadecyl-beta-D-maltoside (C16G2) have been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray techniques. Upon lyophilisation, both compounds form a solid, lamellar phase comprising disordered head groups and hexagonally packed alkyl chains that are suggested to be tilted and interdigitated. This ordered lamellar phase melts into a metastable lamellar liquid crystal, which re-crystallises to a high-temperature crystalline polymorph comprising interdigitated, non-tilted alkyl chains. Remarkably, the high-temperature polymorph of C14G2 has the same melting point as that of C16G2, namely 105 degrees C for both surfactants. A low-temperature polymorph of anhydrous C14G2 crystallises from water at room temperature, whereas the hemihydrate of C14G2 crystallises at 6 degrees C from water, or from chloroform containing trace water. X-ray data suggest both these crystalline modifications to comprise interdigitated and tilted alkyl chains.     

Thermal Analysis of Solid-Solid Interactions in Binary Mixtures of Alkylcyclohexanes Using DSC

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to construct phase diagrams of binary mixtures of alkylcyclohexanes and to characterize metastable phases formed in the binary mixtures. The experimentally measured liquidus curves were compared to the liquidus curves calculated using ideal solution theory. The measured phase diagrams of pentadecylcyclohexane/nonadecylcyclohexane and octadecylcyclohexane/nonadecylcyclohexane binary mixtures are consistent with theoretical phase diagrams constructed based on the assumption that these mixtures form eutectic systems. It was also observed that a metastable phase formed in some binary mixtures of pentadecylcyclohexane/nonadecylcyclohexane under fast cooling conditions. It is hypothesized that this metastable phase recrystallizes into the eutectic phase upon heating. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of a Second Cation (M = Ca2+, Mg2+) on the Phase Evolution of (BaxM1–x)F2 Starting from Amorphous Deposits

A second type of cation (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) was introduced into BaF₂ by low‐temperature atomic beam deposition. The structure evolution from low‐temperature (–150 °C) amorphous deposits to high‐temperature (< 1000 °C) annealed crystalline phases was studied by in‐situ transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. Amorphous (Ba_0.5, Ca_0.5)F₂ crystallizes in a first step to metastable solid solution phase (fluorite‐type), which then decomposes into the pure phases of CaF₂ and BaF₂ at higher temperature. The crystallization behavior of amorphous (Ba_xMg_1–x)F₂ is completely different. When the Mg/Ba atomic ratio is around 1:1, the mixture transforms to the ternary compound BaMgF₄ at annealing, and no decomposition occurs by further heating up to 1000 °C. When the Ba concentration is below 15 % in atomic ratio (x < 0.15), the mixture forms a solid solution phase (rutile type) with the lattice expanded by +1 % compared to rutile type MgF₂. The difference between the phase evolutions of the two mixture systems is discussed.     

A metastable prerequisite for the growth of lumazine synthase crystals

Dense liquid phases, metastable with respect to a solid phase, form in solutions of proteins and small-molecule materials. They have been shown to serve as a prerequisite for the nucleation of crystals and other ordered solid phases. Here, using crystals of the protein lumazine synthase from Bacillus subtilis, which grow by the generation and spreading of layers, we demonstrate that within a range of supersaturations the only mechanism of generation of growth layers involves the association of submicrometer-size droplets of the dense liquid to the crystal surface. The dense liquid is metastable not only with respect to the crystals, but also with respect to the low-concentration solution: dynamic light scattering reveals that the droplets' lifetime is limited to several seconds, after which they decay into the low-concentration solution. The short lifetime does not allow growth to detectable dimensions so that liquid-liquid phase separation is not observed within a range of conditions broader than the one used for crystallization. If during their lifetime the droplets encounter a crystal surface, they lower their free energy not by decay, but by transformation into crystalline matter, ensuring perfect registry with the substrate. These observations illustrate two novel features of phase transformations in solutions: the existence of doubly metastable, short-lifetime dense phases and their crucial role for the growth of an ordered solid phase.     

Investigation of the first-order phase transition in the Co(1-x)Mg(x)MoO4 solid solution and discussion of the associated thermochromic behavior

A series of compounds of Co(1-x)Mg(x)MoO(4) compositions has been prepared by a conventional ceramic route. The members of the whole solid solution exhibit a reversible first-order phase transition which was probed by using thermal expansion and low-temperature reflectivity techniques. Whereas the α → β transition temperature evolves linearly on warming from 435 to 200 °C with x going from 0 to 0.9, the β → α transition temperature variation falls down on cooling from -40 °C to -140 °C going from CoMoO(4) to Co(0.1)Mg(0.9)MoO(4) with an asymptotic evolution. The phase transition temperatures have been explained on the basis of a crystal polarization effect under substitution of Mg for Co. Thus, from an applicative point of view, new thermochromic pigments with tunable transition temperatures are here proposed.     

Metastable 11 K Superconductor Na(1-y)Fe(2-x)As(2)

The topochemical deintercalation of Na(+) ions from solid NaFeAs at room temperature in THF with iodine yields the superconducting phase Na(1-y)Fe(2-x)As(2) (T(c) ≈ 11 K). This metastable iron arsenide decomposes at 120 °C and is not accessible by high-temperature solid-state synthesis. X-ray powder diffraction confirms the ThCr(2)Si(2)-type structure, but reveals very small coherently scattering domains with a mean composition Na(0.9(2))Fe(1.7(1))As(2). HRTEM investigations show crystalline as well as strongly distorted areas with planar defects. The latter are probably due to sodium loss and disorder which is also detected by (23)Na solid state NMR. The (57)Fe-M?ssbauer spectrum of Na(1-y)Fe(2-x)As(2) shows one type of iron atoms in tetrahedral coordination. All results point to one crystallographic phase with very small domains due to fluctuations of the chemical composition. From electronic reasons we suggest the superconducting phase is presumably NaFe(2)As(2) in the ordered fractions of the sample.     

Phase field theory of interfaces and crystal nucleation in a eutectic system of fcc structure: II. Nucleation in the metastable liquid immiscibility region

In the second part of our paper, we address crystal nucleation in the metastable liquid miscibility region of eutectic systems that is always present, though experimentally often inaccessible. While this situation resembles the one seen in single component crystal nucleation in the presence of a metastable vapor-liquid critical point addressed in previous works, it is more complex because of the fact that here two crystal phases of significantly different compositions may nucleate. Accordingly, at a fixed temperature below the critical point, six different types of nuclei may form: two liquid-liquid nuclei: two solid-liquid nuclei; and two types of composite nuclei, in which the crystalline core has a liquid "skirt," whose composition falls in between the compositions of the solid and the initial liquid phases, in addition to nuclei with concentric alternating composition shells of prohibitively high free energy. We discuss crystalline phase selection via exploring/identifying the possible pathways for crystal nucleation.     

PTX phase equilibrium study of new solid solution systems,Cd1−xMxS (M = Mg,Ca, Sr)

Pressure, temperature, and composition phase equilibrium diagrams of new solid solution systems of the Cd_1?xM_xS (M = Mg, Ca, Sr) type were investigated using the quenching method. The stable region for the rock-salt-type phase is widely extended toward the high-temperature/low-pressure region by substituting 10–20 mole% of Cd with Ca or Sr. Temperature and composition phase diagrams for each solid solution system were obtained at 2 GPa. The rock-salt-type phase stability is discussed in view of these phase relations.     

Nucleation of bulk phases in the HCl/H2O system

We report experimental results on the low-temperature uptake of HCl on H(2)O ice (ice). HCl was deposited on the surface at greater than monolayer amounts at 85 K, and the ice substrate was heated. The temperature dependence of the HCl vapor pressure from this phase was measured from 110 to 150 K, with the nucleation of a bulk hydrate phase observed at 150 K. Measurements were conducted in a closed system by simultaneous application of gas phase mass spectrometry and surface spectroscopy to characterize vapor/solid equilibrium and the nucleation of bulk hydrate phases. Combining the nucleation data reported here with data we reported previously (180 to 200 K) and data from two other laboratories (165 and 170 K), the thermodynamic boundaries for the nucleation of both the metastable bulk solution and bulk hydrate phases subsequent to monolayer adsorption of HCl have been determined. The nucleation of the metastable bulk solution phase occurs promptly at monolayer coverage at the ice/liquid coexistence boundary on the binary bulk phase diagram. The nucleation of the bulk hexahydrate occurs from this metastable solution along a locus of points defining a state of constant solution free energy. This measured free energy is -51.2 +/- 0.9 kJ/mol. Finally, the temperature dependence of the HCl vapor pressure from the low-temperature phase is reported here for the first time and is consistent with that of the metastable solution predicted by this thermodynamic model of uptake, extending the range of validity of this model of adsorption followed by bulk solution and hydrate nucleation to a lower bound in temperature of 110 K.     

Formation of continuous solid solutions near the minimum point of a phase diagram

A model of structure ordering in alloys of the compositions corresponding to the minimum points of phase diagrams with continuous series of solid solutions was proposed based on calculating the concentration dependence of the energy of mixing and the results of X-ray powder diffraction study of solid solutions in the systems Sb-As, Sb₂Se₃-Bi₂S₃, and Cu-Mn.     

Application of the regular solution model to analyzing the interaction in binary fluoride systems

Binary fluoride systems were considered in the frame of the regular solution model. An interaction parameter based on which the nature of the interaction in the systems can be suggested was calculated for melting diagrams of the eutectic type and also for diagrams with limited solid solutions and solid solutions with a minimum (or a maximum) in the liquidus curve.     

Pressure-induced ordering in adamantane: a Monte Carlo simulation study

Isothermal-isobaric ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of adamantane has been carried out with a variable shape simulation cell. The low-temperature crystalline phase and the room-temperature plastic crystalline phases have been studied employing the modified Williams potential. We show that at room temperature, the plastic crystalline phase transforms to the crystalline phase on increase in pressure. Further, we show that this is the same phase as the low-temperature ordered tetragonal phase of adamantane. The high-pressure ordered phase appears to be characterized by a slightly larger shift of the first peak toward a lower value of r in C-C, C-H, and H-H radial distribution functions as compared to the low-temperature tetragonal phase. The coexistence curve between the crystalline and plastic crystalline phase has been obtained approximately up to a pressure of 4 GPa.     

Self-assembly Behavior of Symmetrical Linear ABCA Tetrablock Copolymer: A Self-consistent Field Theory Study

ABCA tetrablock copolymers offer new opportunities for design of materials with novel structures. Using real-space self-consistent field theory and simulation, we systematically examined the self-assembly behavior of linear ABCA tetrablock copolymers in a 2D space. The simulation was carried out under conditions of symmetrical compositions and interactions. We focus on the influence of chain length ratio of block A and interactions between block A and other blocks B and C on the self-assembly behavior of the copolymer system. The simulation results show that most of the structures self-assembled by the ABCA tetrablock copolymers are centrosymmetric, such as diblock-like lamella phase, two kinds of lamellae with beads at interface, two kinds of hierarchical lamella phase, hexagonal honeycomb-like phase, lamella phase with mixed BC and hexagonal spheres with mixed BC. Furthermore, we find that a novel noncentrosymmetric Janus spheres can be obtained when the interaction between blocks B and C is strong, whereas a noncentrosymmetric lamella phase was obtained at weak interaction between blocks B and C. Phase diagrams for the ABCA tetrablock copolymers with different interaction strength between blocks B and C are constructed by comparing free energies of candidate ordered structures. In addition, studies on the metastable behavior of the system reveal that enthalpy plays an important role in the metastable behavior of the ABCA tetrablock copolymer system. Our work can provide useful guide for structure control of such kind of tetrablock copolymers in experiments.     

Phase separations in liquid crystal-colloid mixtures

We present a mean-field theory to describe phase separations in mixtures of a nematic liquid crystal and a colloidal particle. The theory takes into account an orientational ordering of liquid crystals and a crystalline ordering of colloidal particles. We calculate phase diagrams on the temperature-concentration plane, depending on interactions between a liquid crystal and a colloidal surface and a coupling between nematic and crystalline ordering. We find various phase separation processes, such as a nematic-crystal phase separation and nematic-isotropic-crystal triple point. Inside binodal curves, we find new unstable and metastable regions which are important in phase ordering dynamics. We also find a stable nematic-crystalline (NC) phase, where colloidal particles dispersed in a nematic phase can form a crystalline structure. The coexistence between two NC phases with different concentrations can be appear though the coupling between nematic and crystalline ordering.