A new phase of matter now revealed shows properties typical of solids and liquids, but cannot be classified into either state. The discovery that matter can manifest order and fluidity simultaneously could have important applications in industry and technology.
An experiment carried out with high-precision electron microscopes has identified a new state of matter — a hybrid phase which combines properties of solids and liquids.
This unique atomic behavior, described by European researchers in a publication published on Tuesday in the journal ACS Nanocould transform the study of fundamental years for various technological industries.
Experiments have shown that gold, platinum and palladium nanoparticleswhen merging into a graphene atomic sheetshow a double dynamic: most atoms moves fluidlywhile a group remains motionless, forming a stable ring.
The study authors named this phase corralled supercooled liquid (in free translation, “confined superreinforced liquid“) and consider that it opens up new ways of interpreting solidification processes.
“When we consider matter, we normally think of three states: gaseous, liquid and solid”, he explains. Andrei Khlobystova specialist in nanomaterials at the University of Nottingham, in the United Kingdom, and lead author of the study, cited by
“Although the behavior of atoms in gases and solids is easier to understand and describe, liquids continue to be more mysterious. Our discovery could herald a new form of matter that combines characteristics of solids and liquids in the same material”, adds the researcher.
For researchers, this coexistence of mobility and rigid structure offers an unprecedented perspective on the how metals organize themselves immediately before they solidify.
A new hybrid phase
The study was carried out with the SALVE electron microscope, capable of recording atomic movements in real time, explains .
“We used graphene as a kind of stove to heat the particles and, as they fused, their atoms began to move quickly. However, It surprised us that some atoms remained stationary“, details the physicist Christopher Leistresearcher at the University of Ulm, Germany, and first author of the study.
This behavior, unusual in molten materials, made it possible to observe the critical moment at which a liquid begins its transition to a solid.
The researchers found that the immobile atoms directly influence the final structure of the material. When their number is high, they block the formation of crystals and give rise to an amorphous and unstable solid.
If these fixed points are changed, internal tension is reducedand the metal recovers its usual crystalline patterna crucial phenomenon for the design of new metallic alloys.
The specialist in electronic optics Out Kaiser also a researcher at the University of Ulm and co-author of the study, emphasizes that the movement observed reminds us of quantum processesin which particles exhibit dual behaviors.
For the scientific community, this hybrid state demonstrates that matter can manifest order and fluidity at the same timewhich justifies its recognition as a new phase. The team emphasizes that, for the first time, it was possible “confine” complete atomsa feat that until now had only been achieved with photons and electrons.
