Raykh, A. et al / UMass Amherst
Scientists have discovered an exception to the laws of thermodynamics: an stubborn liquid with the ability to “recover their shape.”
A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, led by the physicist Anthony Raykhidentified a unusual physical phenomenon which challenges some traditional expectations of the laws of thermodynamics.
The discovery, presented in a published in Nature Physicsinvolves a liquid with the ability to “recover its shape”which surprisingly adopts a specific geometric configuration after being agitated.
The mixture in question is composed of water, oil and nickel particles magnetized. Like an Italian salad sauce, these components usually require a Emulsification process – A phenomenon governed by thermodynamics – to mix.
However, in this case, The behavior was unusual: After shaking the mixture, this Not only didbut also adopted a repeated and surprisingly stable form.
And the most surprising thing is that this specific form, similar to a great anvil, always reappearedregardless of the intensity of agitation.
This behavior caught the attention of the team of teachers of the Department of Science and Engineering of UMSS AMERT, including teachers Thomas Russell e David Hoaglandspecialists in soft materials.
Together with colleagues from the universities of Tufts and Syracuse, they performed computer simulations and a series of experiences to understand the phenomenon.
The explanation lies in Magnetism intensityexplain the study authors in one of UMSS.
Under normal conditions, the particles added to a mixture of oil and water reduce interfacial tension, facilitating emulsification. However, in this case, the nickel particles were so strongly magnetized that the opposite occurred: increased the tension at the interface.
This increase in interfacial tension prevented liquids from mingling As expected and also induced a structural reorganization that forced the mixture to adopt a smooth and symmetrical curve.
At the microscopic level, magnetic nanoparticles act as a kind of dynamic scaffoldrearranging itself precisely to form the “Invit” figure, once and again.
This magnetohydrodynamic interaction interferes with the normal mechanisms of emulsification described by thermodynamics, suggesting that, under certain conditions, It is possible to “bend” its principles – Without fully violating them.
Although No practical application has not been identified Immediate for this phenomenon, researchers believe they may have relevant implications for the study of soft matter and the design of new self-fulfilling materials.
