Polymorphic crystalline wetting layers on crystal surfaces

Analogous to surface premelting, we propose that a crystal surface can undergo a pre-solid-solid transition, i.e. developing a thin polymorphic crystalline layer before reaching the solid-solid transition temperature if two crystals can form a low-energy coherent interface. We confirm this in simulations and colloid experiments at single-particle resolution. The power-law increase of surface layer thickness is analogous to premelting. Different kinetics and reversibilities of surface-crystal growth are observed in various systems. Surface crystals exist not only under thermal equilibrium, but also during melting, crystallization, and grain coarsening. Furthermore, the premelting and pre-solid-solid transition can coexist, resulting double surface wetting layers. We hypothesize that such surface phenomena exist in atomic and molecular crystals, which provide a novel way to tune material properties.

Solid wetting-layers in inorganic nano-reactors: the water in imogolite nanotube case

The discovery of an original structure of the water at the inner surface of inorganic aluminogermanate nanotubes and its specific dynamics are reported, based on density functional theory molecular dynamics and inelastic neutron scattering.