Realization of the ground state of liquid by confinement of nanopores, and the investigation of its molecular arrangement structure

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K14372
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biological physics/Chemical physics/Soft matter physics
• Research Institution: Kokushikan University
• Principal Investigator: Nagoe Atsushi 国士舘大学, 理工学部, 講師 (70750579)
• Research Collaborator: Oguni masaharu
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 液体 / 配置エントロピー / 過冷却液体 / ガラス転移 / メソポーラスシリカ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Liquid Structure gradually changes to more stable and ordered one with decreasing temperature. However, the detail of ground state of molecular configuration of liquid at low temperature has been unclear. This is because, at low temperatures, ordinary liquids crystallize or vitrify (increase in viscosity and forms glassy state where it cannot change its molecular configuration.) In this research, by confinement within nanometer-sized silica pores, we tried to suppress the crystallization and to facilitate ordering of molecular configuration to realize the ground state at higher temperature than glass transition temperature Tg. It was found that toluene confined within nanometer-sized silica pores actually show such behavior (static freezing of molecular rearrangement motion) at above Tg, although there is a problem related to "wetting" on the pore wall interface.

Free Research Field

物理化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

構造のはっきりしている結晶状態と比べて、分子配置に周期的な秩序がない液体の構造はいまだわかっていないことが多い。特に、凝固点よりはるかに低い温度の過冷却状態における液体の構造は、ガラス転移などの問題と関連して現代における重要な課題である。一方で、その研究は結晶化の問題やガラス化の問題によって実験的にはほとんど進展がない。本研究成果はそのような低温の液体の謎に対し、実験的なアプローチを提供することが期待される。