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The short-range order in liquid Si, Ge and binary Si- x -Ge1-x alloys (x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75) was studied by x-ray diffraction and reverse Monte Carlo simulations. Experiments were performed in the normal and supercooled liquid states by using the containerless technique of aerodynamic levitation with CO2 laser heating, enabling deeper supercooling of liquid Si and Si-Ge alloys than previously reported. The local atomic structure of liquid Si and Ge resembles the beta-tin structure. The first coordination numbers of about 6 for all compositions are found to be independent of temperature indicating the supercooled liquids studied retain this high-density liquid (HDL) structure. However, there is evidence of developing local tetrahedral ordering, as manifested by a shoulder on the right side of the first peak in S(Q) which becomes more prominent with increasing supercooling. This result is potentially indicative of a continuous transition from the stable HDL beta-tin (high pressure) phase, towards a metastable low-density liquid phase, reminiscent of the diamond (ambient pressure) structure.

The short-range order in liquid Si, Ge and binary Si- x -Ge1-x alloys (x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75) was studied by x-ray diffraction and reverse Monte Carlo simulations. Experiments were performed in the normal and supercooled liquid states by using the containerless technique of aerodynamic levitation with CO2 laser heating, enabling deeper supercooling of liquid Si and Si-Ge alloys than previously reported. The local atomic structure of liquid Si and Ge resembles the beta-tin structure. The first coordination numbers of about 6 for all compositions are found to be independent of temperature indicating the supercooled liquids studied retain this high-density liquid (HDL) structure. However, there is evidence of developing local tetrahedral ordering, as manifested by a shoulder on the right side of the first peak in S(Q) which becomes more prominent with increasing supercooling. This result is potentially indicative of a continuous transition from the stable HDL beta-tin (high pressure) phase, towards a metastable low-density liquid phase, reminiscent of the diamond (ambient pressure) structure.

Crystalline calcium aluminates are a critical setting agent in cement. To date, few have explored the microscopic and dynamic mechanism of the transitions from molten aluminate liquids, through the supercooled state to glassy and crystalline phases, during cement clinker production. Herein, the first in situ measurements of viscosity and density are reported across all the principal molten phases, relevant to their eventual crystalline structures. Bulk atomistic computer simulations confirm that thermophysical properties scale with the evolution of network substructures interpenetrating melts on the nanoscale. It is demonstrated that the glass transition temperature (T-g) follows the eutectic profile of the liquidus temperature (T-m), coinciding with the melting zone in cement production. The viscosity has been uniquely charted over 14 decades for each calcium-aluminate phase, projecting and justifying the different temperature zones used in cement manufacture. The fragile-strong phase transitions are revealed across all supercooled phases coinciding with heterogeneous nucleation close to 1.2T(g), where sintering and quenching occur in industrial-scale cement processing.

Crystalline calcium aluminates are a critical setting agent in cement. To date, few have explored the microscopic and dynamic mechanism of the transitions from molten aluminate liquids, through the supercooled state to glassy and crystalline phases, during cement clinker production. Herein, the first in situ measurements of viscosity and density are reported across all the principal molten phases, relevant to their eventual crystalline structures. Bulk atomistic computer simulations confirm that thermophysical properties scale with the evolution of network substructures interpenetrating melts on the nanoscale. It is demonstrated that the glass transition temperature (T-g) follows the eutectic profile of the liquidus temperature (T-m), coinciding with the melting zone in cement production. The viscosity has been uniquely charted over 14 decades for each calcium-aluminate phase, projecting and justifying the different temperature zones used in cement manufacture. The fragile-strong phase transitions are revealed across all supercooled phases coinciding with heterogeneous nucleation close to 1.2T(g), where sintering and quenching occur in industrial-scale cement processing.

We report new time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction (SXRD) measurements to track structural transformations in calcium-aluminate (CaO)(x)(Al2O3)(1?x) liquids during glass formation, and review recent progress in neutron diffraction with isotope substitution (NDIS) experiments, combined with aspherical ion model molecular dynamics (AIM-MD) simulations, to identify the atomic-scale configurational constraints on glass-forming ability. The time-resolved measurements reveal substantial changes in ordering on short- and intermediate-range occurring during supercooling. In the equimolar composition x??=??0.5 (CA), the liquid undergoes a remarkable structural re-organisation on vitrification as over coordinated AlO5 polyhedra and oxygen triclusters breakdown to form a network of predominantly corner-shared AlO4 tetrahedra. This is accompanied by the formation of branched chains of edge-and face-sharing Ca-centred CaOy? polyhedra contributing to cationic ordering on intermediate length-scales. The Ca-rich end-member of the glass-forming system x??=??0.75 (C3A) is largely composed of AlO4 tetrahedra, but % unconnected AlO4 monomers and Al2O7 dimers are present, representing a threshold after which the glass can no longer support the formation of an infinitely connected network. Overall, the AIM-MD simulations are in excellent agreement with the SXRD and NDIS experiments suggesting an accurate potential model. However, small discrepancies between the simulated glass structures and experimental measurements are apparent, indicating a small degree of liquid-like ordering persists in the simulated glass trajectories. This may be due to the short simulation time-scales which are unrepresentative of the viscous kinetic processes involved in supercooling and glass formation. One approach to improve future models could be the integration of rare event sampling techniques into MD simulation codes to massively extend equilibration time-scales and more accurately model vitrificat

We report new time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction (SXRD) measurements to track structural transformations in calcium-aluminate (CaO)(x)(Al2O3)(1?x) liquids during glass formation, and review recent progress in neutron diffraction with isotope substitution (NDIS) experiments, combined with aspherical ion model molecular dynamics (AIM-MD) simulations, to identify the atomic-scale configurational constraints on glass-forming ability. The time-resolved measurements reveal substantial changes in ordering on short- and intermediate-range occurring during supercooling. In the equimolar composition x??=??0.5 (CA), the liquid undergoes a remarkable structural re-organisation on vitrification as over coordinated AlO5 polyhedra and oxygen triclusters breakdown to form a network of predominantly corner-shared AlO4 tetrahedra. This is accompanied by the formation of branched chains of edge-and face-sharing Ca-centred CaOy? polyhedra contributing to cationic ordering on intermediate length-scales. The Ca-rich end-member of the glass-forming system x??=??0.75 (C3A) is largely composed of AlO4 tetrahedra, but % unconnected AlO4 monomers and Al2O7 dimers are present, representing a threshold after which the glass can no longer support the formation of an infinitely connected network. Overall, the AIM-MD simulations are in excellent agreement with the SXRD and NDIS experiments suggesting an accurate potential model. However, small discrepancies between the simulated glass structures and experimental measurements are apparent, indicating a small degree of liquid-like ordering persists in the simulated glass trajectories. This may be due to the short simulation time-scales which are unrepresentative of the viscous kinetic processes involved in supercooling and glass formation. One approach to improve future models could be the integration of rare event sampling techniques into MD simulation codes to massively extend equilibration time-scales and more accurately model vitrificat

The atomic-scale structure of aerodynamically levitated and laser-heated liquid tricalcium aluminate (Ca3Al2O6) was measured at 2073(30) K by using the method of neutron diffraction with Ca isotope substitution (NDIS). The results enable the detailed resolution of the local coordination environment around calcium and aluminum atoms, including the direct determination of the liquid partial structure factor, S-CaCa(Q), and partial pair distribution function, (gCaCa)(r). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) refinement methods were employed to obtain a detailed atomistic model of the liquid structure. The composition Ca3Al2O6 lies at the CaO-rich limit of the CaO: Al2O3 glass-forming system. Our results show that, although significantly depolymerized, liquid Ca3Al2O6 is largely composed of AlO4 tetrahedra forming an infinite network with a slightly higher fraction of bridging oxygen atoms than expected for the composition. Calcium-centered polyhedra exhibit a wide distribution of four-to sevenfold coordinated sites, with higher coordinated calcium preferentially bonding to bridging oxygens. Analysis of the MD configuration reveals the presence of similar to 10% unconnected AlO4 monomers and Al2O7 dimers in the liquid. As the CaO concentration increases, the number of these isolated units increases, such that the upper value for the glass-forming composition of CaO: Al2O3 liquids could be described in terms of a percolation threshold at which the glass can no longer support the formation of an infinitely connected AlO4 network.

To understand the behavior of rare earth elements (REE) in magmatic systems it is important to characterize in a systematic way their incorporation into silicate melts and glasses. Here, we study the structural environment of the REE Y and La in four aluminosilicate glasses and melts with varying REE content, using a combined simulation and diffraction approach. Glasses are investigated by X-ray and neutron diffraction as well as classical molecular dynamics simulations using two different polarizable ion potentials. Structure models of the corresponding melts are derived from classical and first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. We discuss the effect of temperature on coordination numbers and rationalize the structural changes in response to variations in melt/glass composition in terms of cation field strengths. We find robust evidence that REE and Al coordination numbers decrease with increasing REE content in the investigated melts and glasses. Comparing the two classical potentials, one of them is able to reproduce features of the experimental structure factors with a mixture of corner- and edge-sharing Al-O/REE-O polyhedra, whereas the other potential predicts corner-sharing Al-O/REE-O polyhedra only. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The atomic-scale structure of aerodynamically levitated and laser-heated liquid tricalcium aluminate (Ca3Al2O6) was measured at 2073(30) K by using the method of neutron diffraction with Ca isotope substitution (NDIS). The results enable the detailed resolution of the local coordination environment around calcium and aluminum atoms, including the direct determination of the liquid partial structure factor, S-CaCa(Q), and partial pair distribution function, (gCaCa)(r). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) refinement methods were employed to obtain a detailed atomistic model of the liquid structure. The composition Ca3Al2O6 lies at the CaO-rich limit of the CaO: Al2O3 glass-forming system. Our results show that, although significantly depolymerized, liquid Ca3Al2O6 is largely composed of AlO4 tetrahedra forming an infinite network with a slightly higher fraction of bridging oxygen atoms than expected for the composition. Calcium-centered polyhedra exhibit a wide distribution of four-to sevenfold coordinated sites, with higher coordinated calcium preferentially bonding to bridging oxygens. Analysis of the MD configuration reveals the presence of similar to 10% unconnected AlO4 monomers and Al2O7 dimers in the liquid. As the CaO concentration increases, the number of these isolated units increases, such that the upper value for the glass-forming composition of CaO: Al2O3 liquids could be described in terms of a percolation threshold at which the glass can no longer support the formation of an infinitely connected AlO4 network.

To understand the behavior of rare earth elements (REE) in magmatic systems it is important to characterize in a systematic way their incorporation into silicate melts and glasses. Here, we study the structural environment of the REE Y and La in four aluminosilicate glasses and melts with varying REE content, using a combined simulation and diffraction approach. Glasses are investigated by X-ray and neutron diffraction as well as classical molecular dynamics simulations using two different polarizable ion potentials. Structure models of the corresponding melts are derived from classical and first-principles molecular dynamics simulations. We discuss the effect of temperature on coordination numbers and rationalize the structural changes in response to variations in melt/glass composition in terms of cation field strengths. We find robust evidence that REE and Al coordination numbers decrease with increasing REE content in the investigated melts and glasses. Comparing the two classical potentials, one of them is able to reproduce features of the experimental structure factors with a mixture of corner- and edge-sharing Al-O/REE-O polyhedra, whereas the other potential predicts corner-sharing Al-O/REE-O polyhedra only. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Calcium aluminosilicate CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CAS) melts with compositions (CaO - SiO2)(x)(Al2O3)(1-x) for x < 0.5 and (Al2O3)(x)(SiO2)(1-x) for x >= 0.5 are studied using neutron diffraction with aerodynamic levitation and density functional theory molecular dynamics modelling. Simulated structure factors are found to be in good agreement with experimental structure factors. Local atomic structures from simulations reveal the role of calcium cations as a network modifier, and aluminium cations as a non-tetrahedral network former. Distributions of tetrahedral order show that an increasing concentration of the network former Al increases entropy, while an increasing concentration of the network modifier Ca decreases entropy. This trend is opposite to the conventional understanding that increasing amounts of network former should increase order in the network liquid, and so decrease entropy. The two-body correlation entropy S-2 is found to not correlate with the excess entropy values obtained from thermochemical databases, while entropies including higher-order correlations such as tetrahedral order, O-M-O or M-O-M bond angles and Q(N) environments show a clear linear correlation between computed entropy and database excess entropy. The possible relationship between atomic structures and excess entropy is discussed.

Calcium aluminosilicate CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 (CAS) melts with compositions (CaO - SiO2)(x)(Al2O3)(1-x) for x < 0.5 and (Al2O3)(x)(SiO2)(1-x) for x >= 0.5 are studied using neutron diffraction with aerodynamic levitation and density functional theory molecular dynamics modelling. Simulated structure factors are found to be in good agreement with experimental structure factors. Local atomic structures from simulations reveal the role of calcium cations as a network modifier, and aluminium cations as a non-tetrahedral network former. Distributions of tetrahedral order show that an increasing concentration of the network former Al increases entropy, while an increasing concentration of the network modifier Ca decreases entropy. This trend is opposite to the conventional understanding that increasing amounts of network former should increase order in the network liquid, and so decrease entropy. The two-body correlation entropy S-2 is found to not correlate with the excess entropy values obtained from thermochemical databases, while entropies including higher-order correlations such as tetrahedral order, O-M-O or M-O-M bond angles and Q(N) environments show a clear linear correlation between computed entropy and database excess entropy. The possible relationship between atomic structures and excess entropy is discussed.

High pressure and high temperature experiments performed with laser-heated diamond anvil cells (LH-DAC) are being extensively used in geosciences to study matter at conditions prevailing in planetary interiors. Due to the size of the apparatus itself, the samples that are produced are extremely small, on the order of few tens of micrometers. There are several ways to analyze the samples and extract physical, chemical or structural information, using either in situ or ex situ methods. In this paper, we compare two nanoprobe techniques, namely nano-XRF and NanoSIMS, that can be used to analyze recovered samples synthetized in a LH-DAC. With these techniques, it is possible to extract the spatial distribution of chemical elements in the samples. We show the results for several standards and discuss the importance of proper calibration for the acquisition of quantifiable results. We used these two nanoprobe techniques to retrieve elemental ratios of dilute species (few tens of ppm) in quenched experimental molten samples relevant for the formation of the iron-rich core of the Earth. We finally discuss the applications of such probes to constrain the partitioning of trace elements between metal and silicate phases, with a focus on moderately siderophile elements, tungsten and molybdenum.

High pressure and high temperature experiments performed with laser-heated diamond anvil cells (LH-DAC) are being extensively used in geosciences to study matter at conditions prevailing in planetary interiors. Due to the size of the apparatus itself, the samples that are produced are extremely small, on the order of few tens of micrometers. There are several ways to analyze the samples and extract physical, chemical or structural information, using either in situ or ex situ methods. In this paper, we compare two nanoprobe techniques, namely nano-XRF and NanoSIMS, that can be used to analyze recovered samples synthetized in a LH-DAC. With these techniques, it is possible to extract the spatial distribution of chemical elements in the samples. We show the results for several standards and discuss the importance of proper calibration for the acquisition of quantifiable results. We used these two nanoprobe techniques to retrieve elemental ratios of dilute species (few tens of ppm) in quenched experimental molten samples relevant for the formation of the iron-rich core of the Earth. We finally discuss the applications of such probes to constrain the partitioning of trace elements between metal and silicate phases, with a focus on moderately siderophile elements, tungsten and molybdenum.