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Stunning discovery: a new state of matter identified between liquids and solids
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According to recent research, a previously unknown, new state of matter may exist at the boundary between liquids and solids, as certain atoms remain stationary even in liquid metals. This discovery could fundamentally change how we understand the solidification and technological applications of metals.
With advances in technology, understanding the behaviour of materials under extreme conditions is becoming increasingly important. The transition of various metals from liquid to solid is a particularly crucial process, as it determines both the final material structure and its properties. A new study highlights that in this transitional region, a new state of matter can emerge, which is neither fully liquid nor conventionally solid.
A new state of matter at the atomic level
Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK and the University of Ulm in Germany investigated what happens to metals just before solidification, publishing their findings in the journal ACS Nano.
In their experiments, nanoparticles made of platinum, gold, and palladium were melted and then placed onto a thin graphene layer, which served both as a support and a heating surface. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the molten metal nanodroplets as they gradually cooled.
When the metals melted, most atoms began to move rapidly as expected — exactly as one would anticipate from a liquid, since the bonding of particles changes during state of matter transitions.
However, the researchers observed a surprising phenomenon: some atoms in the liquid metal did not move, remaining stationary regardless of temperature, and began to attach themselves to a point defect in the graphene support. This behaviour is entirely different from what we previously understood about the atomic-level behaviour of liquids.
