Repeated crystallization in undercooled Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23 liquids

Isothermal crystallization studies are performed on Zr41Ti14Cu12Ni10Be23 melts. Undercooling experiments are carried out repeatedly at 907, 860, and 750 K. The scattering of the time to reach the onset of crystallization is investigated. Results from experiments performed at 907 K show a large scatter of the onset time of crystallization. For the experiments carried out at 860 and 750 K, scattering of the onset time is two orders of magnitude smaller. These results indicate that, at high temperatures, the crystallization is governed by the time scale of the statistical nucleation events. At low temperatures, the crystallization is controlled by diffusion, resulting in a well-defined onset time for crystallization

Self-interaction chromatography as a tool for optimizing conditions for membrane protein crystallization

The second virial coefficient, or B value, is a measurement of how well a protein interacts with itself in solution. These interactions can lead to protein crystallization or precipitation, depending on their strength, with a narrow range of B values (the `crystallization slot') being known to promote crystallization. A convenient method of determining the B value is by self-interaction chromatography. This paper describes how the light-harvesting complex 1-reaction centre core complex from Allochromatium vinosum yielded single straight-edged crystals after iterative cycles of self-interaction chromatography and crystallization. This process allowed the rapid screening of small molecules and detergents as crystallization additives. Here, a description is given of how self-interaction chromatography has been utilized to improve the crystallization conditions of a membrane protein

Explosive crystallization mechanism of ultradisperse amorphous films

The explosive crystallization of germanium ultradisperse amorphous films is studied experimentally. We show that crystallization may be initiated by local heating at the small film thickness but it realizes spontaneously at the large ones. The fractal pattern of the crystallized phase is discovered that is inherent in the phenomena of diffusion limited aggregation. It is shown that in contrast to the ordinary crystallization mode the explosive one is connected with the instability which is caused by the self-heating. A transition from the first mechanism to the second one is modelled by Lorenz system. The process of explosive crystallization is represented on the basis of the self-organized criticality conception. The front movement is described as the effective diffusion in the ultrametric space of hierarchically subordinated avalanches, corresponding to the explosive crystallization of elementary volumes of ultradisperse powder. The expressions for the stationary crystallization heat distribution and the steady-state heat current are obtained. The heat needed for initiation of the explosive crystallization is obtained as a function of the thermometric conductivity. The time dependence of the spontaneous crystallization probability in a thin films is examined.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, LaTe

In situ visualization of Ni-Nb bulk metallic glasses phase transition

We report the results of the Ni-based bulk metallic glass structural evolution and crystallization behavior in situ investigation. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nano-beam diffraction (NBD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), radial distribution function (RDF) and scanning probe microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) techniques were applied to analyze the structure and electronic properties of Ni63.5Nb36.5 glasses before and after crystallization. It was proved that partial surface crystallization of Ni63.5Nb36.5 can occur at the temperature lower than for the full sample crystallization. According to our STM measurements the primary crystallization is originally starting with the Ni3Nb phase formation. It was shown that surface crystallization drastically differs from the bulk crystallization due to the possible surface reconstruction. The mechanism of Ni63.5Nb36.5 glass alloy 2D-crystallization was suggested, which corresponds to the local metastable (3x3)-Ni(111) surface phase formation. The possibility of different surface nano-structures development by the annealing of the originally glassy alloy in ultra high vacuum at the temperature lower, than the crystallization temperature was shown. The increase of mean square surface roughness parameter Rq while moving from glassy to fully crystallized state can be caused by concurrent growth of Ni3Nb and Ni6Nb7 bulk phases. The simple empirical model for the estimation of Ni63.5Nb36.5 cluster size was suggested, and the obtained values (7.64 A, 8.08 A) are in good agreement with STM measurements data (8 A-10 A)

Low-Temperature Crystallization of Amorphous Silicate in Astrophysical Environments

We construct a theoretical model for low-temperature crystallization of amorphous silicate grains induced by exothermic chemical reactions. As a first step, the model is applied to the annealing experiments, in which the samples are (1) amorphous silicate grains and (2) amorphous silicate grains covered with an amorphous carbon layer. We derive the activation energies of crystallization for amorphous silicate and amorphous carbon from the analysis of the experiments. Furthermore, we apply the model to the experiment of low-temperature crystallization of amorphous silicate core covered with an amorphous carbon layer containing reactive molecules. We clarify the conditions of low-temperature crystallization due to exothermic chemical reactions. Next, we formulate the crystallization conditions so as to be applicable to astrophysical environments. We show that the present crystallization mechanism is characterized by two quantities: the stored energy density Q in a grain and the duration of the chemical reactions \tau . The crystallization conditions are given by Q > Q_{min} and \tau < \tau _{cool} regardless of details of the reactions and grain structure, where \tau _{cool} is the cooling timescale of the grains heated by exothermic reactions, and Q_{min} is minimum stored energy density determined by the activation energy of crystallization. Our results suggest that silicate crystallization occurs in wider astrophysical conditions than hitherto considered.Comment: 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical

On the spectrum of facet crystallization waves at the smooth 4He crystal surface

The wavelike processes of crystallization and melting or crystallization waves are well known to exist at the 4He crystal surface in the rough state. Much less is known about crystallization waves for the 4He crystal surface in the smooth well-faceted state below the roughening transition temperature. To meet the lack, we analyze here the spectrum of facet crystallization waves and its dependence upon the wavelength, perturbation amplitude, and the number of possible facet steps distributed somehow over the wavelength. All the distinctive features of facet crystallization waves from conventional waves at the rough surface result from a nonanalytic cusplike behavior in the angle dependence for the surface tension of smooth crystal facets.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Crystallization of triethyl-citrate-plasticized poly(lactic acid) induced by chitin nanocrystals

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the crystallization behavior of triethyl-citrate-plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA–TEC) in the presence of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs). The isothermal crystallization behavior of PLA–TEC was studied by polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Interestingly, the addition of just 1 wt % ChNCs in PLA–TEC increased the crystallization rate in the temperature range of 135–125 °C. The microscopy studies confirmed the presence of at least three distinct types of spherulites: negative, neutral, and ring banded. The ChNCs also increased the degree of crystallinity up to 32%, even at a fast cooling rate of 25¿°C min-1. The XRD studies further revealed the nucleation effect induced by the addition of ChNCs and thus explained the faster crystallization rate. To conclude, the addition of a small amount (1 wt %) of ChNC to plasticized PLA significantly affected its nucleation, crystal size, and crystallization speed; therefore, the proposed route can be considered suitable for improving the crystallization behavior of PLA.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft