Evidence of the existence of the high-density and low-density phases in deeply-cooled confined heavy water under high pressures

Zhe Wang; Kao-Hsiang Liu; Leland Harriger; Juscelino B Leão; Sow-Hsin Chen

doi:10.1063/1.4885844

Evidence of the existence of the high-density and low-density phases in deeply-cooled confined heavy water under high pressures

J Chem Phys. 2014 Jul 7;141(1):014501. doi: 10.1063/1.4885844.

Authors

Zhe Wang¹, Kao-Hsiang Liu¹, Leland Harriger², Juscelino B Leão², Sow-Hsin Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
² National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.

PMID: 25005293
DOI: 10.1063/1.4885844

Abstract

The average density of D2O confined in a nanoporous silica matrix (MCM-41-S) is studied with neutron scattering. We find that below ~210 K, the pressure-temperature plane of the system can be divided into two regions. The average density of the confined D2O in the higher-pressure region is about 16% larger than that in the lower-pressure region. These two regions could represent the so-called "low-density liquid" and "high-density liquid" phases. The dividing line of these two regions, which could represent the associated 1st order liquid-liquid transition line, is also determined.