PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Neither liquid nor solid

Neither liquid nor solid
2021-01-05
(Press-News.org) While glass is a truly ubiquitous material that we use on a daily basis, it also represents a major scientific conundrum. Contrary to what one might expect, the true nature of glass remains something of a mystery, with scientific inquiry into its chemical and physical properties still underway. In chemistry and physics, the term glass itself is a mutable concept: It includes the substance we know as window glass, but it may also refer to a range of other materials with properties that can be explained by reference to glass-like behaviour, including, for instance, metals, plastics, proteins, and even biological cells.

While it may give the impression, glass is anything but conventionally solid. Typically, when a material transitions from a liquid to a solid state the molecules line up to form a crystal pattern. In glass, this does not happen. Instead, the molecules are effectively frozen in place before crystallization happens. This strange and disordered state is characteristic of glasses across different systems and scientists are still trying to understand how exactly this metastable state forms.

A novel state of matter: liquid glass Research led by professors Andreas Zumbusch (Department of Chemistry) and Matthias Fuchs (Department of Physics), both based at the University of Konstanz, has just added another layer of complexity to the glass conundrum. Using a model system involving suspensions of tailor-made ellipsoidal colloids, the researchers uncovered a new state of matter, liquid glass, where individual particles are able to move yet unable to rotate - complex behaviour that has not previously been observed in bulk glasses. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) (date of publication: 19 January 2021; published online: 4 January 2021).

Colloidal suspensions are mixtures or fluids that contain solid particles which, at sizes of a micrometre (one millionth of a metre) or more, are bigger than atoms or molecules and therefore well-suited to investigation with optical microscopy. They are popular among scientists studying glass transitions because they feature many of the phenomena that also occur in other glass-forming materials.

Tailor-made ellipsoidal colloids To date, most experiments involving colloidal suspensions have relied on spherical colloids. The majority of natural and technical systems, however, are composed of non-spherical particles. Using polymer chemistry, the team led by Andreas Zumbusch manufactured small plastic particles, stretching and cooling them until they achieved their ellipsoid forms and then placed them in a suitable solvent. "Due to their distinct shapes our particles have orientation - as opposed to spherical particles - which gives rise to entirely new and previously unstudied kinds of complex behaviours", explains Zumbusch, who is a professor of physical chemistry and senior author on the study.

The researchers then went on to change particle concentrations in the suspensions, and tracked both the translational and rotational motion of the particles using confocal microscopy. Continues Zumbusch: "At certain particle densities orientational motion froze whereas translational motion persisted, resulting in glassy states where the particles clustered to form local structures with similar orientation". What the researchers have termed liquid glass is a result of these clusters mutually obstructing each other and mediating characteristic long-range spatial correlations. These prevent the formation of a liquid crystal which would be the globally ordered state of matter expected from thermodynamics.

Two competing glass transitions What the researchers observed were in fact two competing glass transitions - a regular phase transformation and a nonequilibrium phase transformation - interacting with each other. "This is incredibly interesting from a theoretical vantage point", comments Matthias Fuchs, professor of soft condensed matter theory at the University of Konstanz and the other senior author on the paper. "Our experiments provide the kind of evidence for the interplay between critical fluctuations and glassy arrest that the scientific community has been after for quite some time". A prediction of liquid glass had remained a theoretical conjecture for twenty years.

The results further suggest that similar dynamics may be at work in other glass-forming systems and may thus help to shed light on the behaviour of complex systems and molecules ranging from the very small (biological) to the very big (cosmological). It also potentially impacts the development of liquid crystalline devices.

INFORMATION:

The research was initiated as part of the University of Konstanz's Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1214 "Anisotropic Particles as Building Blocks: Tailoring Shape, Interactions and Structures", which was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2016 to 2020.

Facts: A team of chemists and physicists from the University of Konstanz has discovered a new state of matter, liquid glass, with previously unknown structural elements. Research led by Professor Andreas Zumbusch (Department of Chemistry) and Professor Matthias Fuchs (Department of Physics) provides new insights into the as-yet unresolved issue of glass transition. Experiments with ellipsoidal colloids reveal that liquid glass forms because the particles are able to move but unable to rotate - which results in local particle clusters that obstruct each other and thus prevent an ordered state of matter from forming. Original publication: Jörg Roller, Aleena Laganapan, Janne-Mieke Meijer, Matthias Fuchs, Andreas Zumbusch: Observation of liquid glass in suspensions of ellipsoidal colloids, PNAS, 4 January 2021. URL: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018072118 The research was initiated as part of the University of Konstanz's Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1214 "Anisotropic Particles as Building Blocks: Tailoring Shape, Interactions and Structures", which was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2016 to 2020.

Note to editors: You can download a photo here: https://cms.uni-konstanz.de/fileadmin/pi/fileserver/2020/Bilder/Weder_fluessig_noch_fest.png

Caption: Image of the position and orientation of ellipsoidal particles in clusters of a liquid glass.
Image credit: Research groups of Professor Andreas Zumbusch and Professor Matthias Fuchs

Contact: University of Konstanz
Communications and Marketing
Phone: +49 7531 88-3603
Email: kum@uni-konstanz.de

- uni.kn/en


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Neither liquid nor solid

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Impurities boost performance of organic solar cells

Impurities boost performance of organic solar cells
2021-01-05
Sunlight offers a potential solution in the search for an energy source that does not harm the planet, but this depends on finding a way to efficiently turn electromagnetic energy into electricity. Researchers from KAUST have shown how a known herbicide can improve this conversion in organic devices. While solar cells have traditionally been made from inorganic materials such as silicon, organic materials are starting to break through as an alternative because they are light, flexible and relatively inexpensive to make, even offering the possibility for ...

Researchers regenerate deactivated catalyst in methanol-to-olefins process

Researchers regenerate deactivated catalyst in methanol-to-olefins process
2021-01-05
MTO process, which was first commercialized in 2010, is a catalytic process converting methanol, which is typically made from coal, natural gas, biomass, and CO2, over SAPO-34 zeolite catalyst. It's becoming one of the main streams for producing light olefins, including ethylene and propylene, from non-oil resources. One of the major challenges in MTO is the rapid deactivation of zeolite catalyst due to the coke deposition. In industrial practices, a fluidized bed reactor-regenerator configuration is normally used in order to maintain the continuous operation, in ...

UC-MSC infusion helps repair COVID-19 damage in severe cases

UC-MSC infusion helps repair COVID-19 damage in severe cases
2021-01-05
Dr. Camilo Ricordi, director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and his team of international collaborators are reporting the results of a groundbreaking randomized controlled trial showing umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) infusions safely reduce risk of death and quicken time to recovery for the most severe COVID-19 patients. Dr. Ricordi's peer-reviewed paper has just been published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) January 2021. The clinical trial, authorized by the FDA last ...

UC-MSC transfusion helps repair COVID-19 damage in severe cases

UC-MSC transfusion helps repair COVID-19 damage in severe cases
2021-01-05
Dr. Camilo Ricordi, director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and his team of international collaborators are reporting the results of a groundbreaking randomized controlled trial showing umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) infusions safely reduce risk of death and quicken time to recovery for the most severe COVID-19 patients. Dr. Ricordi's peer-reviewed paper has just been published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) January 2021. The clinical trial, authorized by the FDA last April, was initiated by The Cure Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of research scientists founded ten years ago by Dr. Ricordi for scientists ...

A plant's way to its favorite food

2021-01-05
Like any other plant, Arabidopsis thaliana or mouse-ear cress, needs nitrogen to survive and thrive. But, like maize, beans and sugar beet, it prefers nitrogen in the form of nitrate, growing better on nitrate rich soil. Whereas, pine and rice for example preferentially grow on ammonium nutrition, another form of the key macronutrient nitrogen. If the concentration or the availability of the different forms of nitrogen fluctuate, plants have to adapt quickly. "One of the most important questions is, what is the role of plant hormones in adaptation to the nitrogen availability? How do the machineries within a plant cope with their changing environment?" asks Eva Benková, developmental biologist and Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria. Finding the balance In ...

University of Miami leads groundbreaking trial for COVID-19 treatment

University of Miami leads groundbreaking trial for COVID-19 treatment
2021-01-05
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers led a unique and groundbreaking randomized controlled trial showing umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cell infusions safely reduce risk of death and quicken time to recovery for the severest COVID-19 patients, according to results published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine in January 2021. The study's senior author, Camillo Ricordi, M.D., director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said treating COVID-19 with mesenchymal stem cells makes sense. Results: treatment group vs. ...

3D-printed smart gel changes shape when exposed to light

3D-printed smart gel changes shape when exposed to light
2021-01-05
Inspired by the color-changing skin of cuttlefish, octopuses and squids, Rutgers engineers have created a 3D-printed smart gel that changes shape when exposed to light, becomes "artificial muscle" and may lead to new military camouflage, soft robotics and flexible displays. The engineers also developed a 3D-printed stretchy material that can reveal colors when light changes, according to their study in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Their invention is modeled after the amazing ability of cephalopods such as cuttlefish, octopuses and squids to change the color and texture of their soft skin for camouflage and communication. This is achieved by the ...

Mechanophores: Making polymer crystallization processes crystal clear

Mechanophores: Making polymer crystallization processes crystal clear
2021-01-05
In modern times, manufacturers produce highly specialized materials for a wide array of uses, called polymers. Polymers have a variety of purposes owing to their versatile properties, ranging from being used in construction due to their high tensile strength and resistance to manufacturing plastic bags that require more lightweight, flexible materials, such as nylon or polyethene. These differences between the properties of different polymers stems from their internal structure. Polymers are made up of long chains of smaller sub-units, called "monomers." Crystallization occurs when crystalline polymers are melted, then cooled down slowly, which enables the chains to organize themselves into neatly arranged ...

Uncovering how grasslands changed our climate

2021-01-05
Grasslands are managed worldwide to support livestock production, while remaining natural or semi-natural ones provide critical services that contribute to the wellbeing of both people and the planet. Human activities are however causing grasslands to become a source of greenhouse gas emissions rather than a carbon sink. A new study uncovered how grasslands used by humans have changed our climate over the last centuries. Grasslands are the most extensive terrestrial biome on Earth and are critically important for animal forage, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. They absorb and release carbon dioxide (CO2), and emit methane (CH4) from grazing livestock and nitrous oxide (N2O) from soils, especially when manure or ...

Increase in pleasurable effects of alcohol over time can predict alcohol use disorder

2021-01-05
A new study out of the University of Chicago Medicine following young adult drinkers for 10 years has found that individuals who reported the highest sensitivity to alcohol's pleasurable and rewarding effects at the start of the trial were more likely to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD) over the course of the study. Moreover, when retested on their responses 10 years later, those who became alcoholics had the highest levels of alcohol stimulation, liking and wanting - and these were heightened compared to their baseline with no signs of tolerance to these pleasurable effects. The research, published on Jan. 5 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, followed a ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

PLOS One study: In adolescent lab animals exposed to cocaine, High-Intensity Interval Training boosts aversion to the drug

Scientists identify four ways our bodies respond to COVID-19 vaccines

Stronger together: A new fusion protein boosts cancer immunotherapy

Hidden brain waves as triggers for post-seizure wandering

[Press-News.org] Neither liquid nor solid