Two-step melting transition in confined hard spheres in three dimensions.
It is shown that certain geometrical constraints on a system of hard spheres lead to two distinct finite-size analogs of melting transitions upon decreasing the average number of spheres at constant volume. Melting takes place from an ordered crystal via an intermediate structure to a fluid. Sphere centers in the intermediate state have a high probability to be found in localized regions that are dramatically different in size and shape.
Kegel
W K
WK
Van't Hoff Laboratory for Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Debye Institute, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands. W.K.Kegel@chem.uu.nl