Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals

Jianbo Tang; Stephanie Lambie; Nastaran Meftahi; Andrew J. Christofferson; Jiong Yang; Jialuo Han; Md Arifur Rahim; Mohannad Mayyas; Mohammad B. Ghasemian; Francois Marie Allioux; Zhenbang Cao; Torben Daeneke; Chris F. McConville; Krista G. Steenbergen; Richard B. Kaner; Salvy P. Russo; Nicola Gaston; Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh

doi:10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1

Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals

Jianbo Tang
, Stephanie Lambie
, Nastaran Meftahi
, Andrew J. Christofferson
, Jiong Yang
, Jialuo Han
, Md Arifur Rahim
, Mohannad Mayyas
, Mohammad B. Ghasemian
, Francois Marie Allioux
, Zhenbang Cao
, Torben Daeneke
, Chris F. McConville
, Krista G. Steenbergen
, Richard B. Kaner
, Salvy P. Russo^*
, Nicola Gaston^*
, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Liquid metals are unique solvents in which elegant solidification patterns emerge. Despite the fundamental and technological importance of the solidification process, knowledge gaps and challenges exist in the direct observation, understanding and control of phase transition and pattern formation on the surface of liquid metals. Here, we report the emergence of oscillatory bifurcation solidification patterns in multiple alloy systems. In particular, the solidification of a model Ag_0.001Ga_0.999 alloy, triggered by controlled nucleation, reveals a switchable transition between branched and particulate surface patterns of nanoscale phase-separated intermetallic Ag₂Ga. Evidence from solidification observations, surface analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggests that surface contact phases and conditions modulate the instability dynamics, giving rise to the unconventional oscillatory bifurcation patterns. By demonstrating manipulation and applications in a number of settings enabled by our method, we highlight the wide implications of the observations and present possibilities for exploiting surface solidification phenomena for the synthesis of exclusive nanostructured functional patterns for surface-based applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	158-169
Number of pages	12
Journal	Nature Synthesis
Volume	1
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1
State	Published - Feb 2022
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry (miscellaneous)
Inorganic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry

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10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1

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Tang, J., Lambie, S., Meftahi, N., Christofferson, A. J., Yang, J., Han, J., Rahim, M. A., Mayyas, M., Ghasemian, M. B., Allioux, F. M., Cao, Z., Daeneke, T., McConville, C. F., Steenbergen, K. G., Kaner, R. B., Russo, S. P., Gaston, N., & Kalantar-Zadeh, K. (2022). Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals. Nature Synthesis, 1(2), 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1

@article{db3abd6f7f29406cb5bf5a5134a7e0cd,

title = "Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals",

abstract = "Liquid metals are unique solvents in which elegant solidification patterns emerge. Despite the fundamental and technological importance of the solidification process, knowledge gaps and challenges exist in the direct observation, understanding and control of phase transition and pattern formation on the surface of liquid metals. Here, we report the emergence of oscillatory bifurcation solidification patterns in multiple alloy systems. In particular, the solidification of a model Ag0.001Ga0.999 alloy, triggered by controlled nucleation, reveals a switchable transition between branched and particulate surface patterns of nanoscale phase-separated intermetallic Ag2Ga. Evidence from solidification observations, surface analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggests that surface contact phases and conditions modulate the instability dynamics, giving rise to the unconventional oscillatory bifurcation patterns. By demonstrating manipulation and applications in a number of settings enabled by our method, we highlight the wide implications of the observations and present possibilities for exploiting surface solidification phenomena for the synthesis of exclusive nanostructured functional patterns for surface-based applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]",

author = "Jianbo Tang and Stephanie Lambie and Nastaran Meftahi and Christofferson, \{Andrew J.\} and Jiong Yang and Jialuo Han and Rahim, \{Md Arifur\} and Mohannad Mayyas and Ghasemian, \{Mohammad B.\} and Allioux, \{Francois Marie\} and Zhenbang Cao and Torben Daeneke and McConville, \{Chris F.\} and Steenbergen, \{Krista G.\} and Kaner, \{Richard B.\} and Russo, \{Salvy P.\} and Nicola Gaston and Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.",

year = "2022",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1",

language = "English",

volume = "1",

pages = "158--169",

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Tang, J, Lambie, S, Meftahi, N, Christofferson, AJ, Yang, J, Han, J, Rahim, MA, Mayyas, M, Ghasemian, MB, Allioux, FM, Cao, Z, Daeneke, T, McConville, CF, Steenbergen, KG, Kaner, RB, Russo, SP, Gaston, N & Kalantar-Zadeh, K 2022, 'Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals', Nature Synthesis, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1

TY - JOUR

T1 - Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals

AU - Tang, Jianbo

AU - Lambie, Stephanie

AU - Meftahi, Nastaran

AU - Christofferson, Andrew J.

AU - Yang, Jiong

AU - Han, Jialuo

AU - Rahim, Md Arifur

AU - Mayyas, Mohannad

AU - Ghasemian, Mohammad B.

AU - Allioux, Francois Marie

AU - Cao, Zhenbang

AU - Daeneke, Torben

AU - McConville, Chris F.

AU - Steenbergen, Krista G.

AU - Kaner, Richard B.

AU - Russo, Salvy P.

AU - Gaston, Nicola

AU - Kalantar-Zadeh, Kourosh

PY - 2022/2

Y1 - 2022/2

N2 - Liquid metals are unique solvents in which elegant solidification patterns emerge. Despite the fundamental and technological importance of the solidification process, knowledge gaps and challenges exist in the direct observation, understanding and control of phase transition and pattern formation on the surface of liquid metals. Here, we report the emergence of oscillatory bifurcation solidification patterns in multiple alloy systems. In particular, the solidification of a model Ag0.001Ga0.999 alloy, triggered by controlled nucleation, reveals a switchable transition between branched and particulate surface patterns of nanoscale phase-separated intermetallic Ag2Ga. Evidence from solidification observations, surface analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggests that surface contact phases and conditions modulate the instability dynamics, giving rise to the unconventional oscillatory bifurcation patterns. By demonstrating manipulation and applications in a number of settings enabled by our method, we highlight the wide implications of the observations and present possibilities for exploiting surface solidification phenomena for the synthesis of exclusive nanostructured functional patterns for surface-based applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

AB - Liquid metals are unique solvents in which elegant solidification patterns emerge. Despite the fundamental and technological importance of the solidification process, knowledge gaps and challenges exist in the direct observation, understanding and control of phase transition and pattern formation on the surface of liquid metals. Here, we report the emergence of oscillatory bifurcation solidification patterns in multiple alloy systems. In particular, the solidification of a model Ag0.001Ga0.999 alloy, triggered by controlled nucleation, reveals a switchable transition between branched and particulate surface patterns of nanoscale phase-separated intermetallic Ag2Ga. Evidence from solidification observations, surface analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggests that surface contact phases and conditions modulate the instability dynamics, giving rise to the unconventional oscillatory bifurcation patterns. By demonstrating manipulation and applications in a number of settings enabled by our method, we highlight the wide implications of the observations and present possibilities for exploiting surface solidification phenomena for the synthesis of exclusive nanostructured functional patterns for surface-based applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

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DO - 10.1038/s44160-021-00020-1

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AN - SCOPUS:85129935661

SN - 2731-0582

VL - 1

SP - 158

EP - 169

JO - Nature Synthesis

JF - Nature Synthesis

IS - 2

ER -

Oscillatory bifurcation patterns initiated by seeded surface solidification of liquid metals

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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