Related papers: Edge-Driven Phase Transitions in 2D Ice
We predict an inhomogeneous phase of superfluid 3He films in which translational symmetry is spontaneously broken in the plane of the film. This phase is energetically favored over a range of film thicknesses, $D_{c_2}(T)<D<D_{c_1}(T)$,…
Different from hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) sheets, the bandgap of hBN nanoribbons (BNNRs) can be changed by spatial/electrostatic confinement. It has been predicted that a transverse electric field can narrow the bandgap and even cause an…
The optoelectronic and transport properties of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors (2D TMDs) are highly susceptible to external perturbation, enabling precise tailoring of material function through post-synthetic…
Nanoconfined water plays an indispensable role in various phenomena in biology, chemistry, and engineering. It exhibits many abnormal properties compared to bulk water, especially under strong confinement. However, the origin of those…
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) usually exist in two or more structural phases with different physical properties, and can be repeatedly switched between these phases via different stimuli, making them potentially…
An analysis of water clustering is used to study the quasi-2D percolation transition of water adsorbed at planar hydrophilic surfaces. Above the critical temperature of the layering transition (quasi-2D liquid-vapor phase transition of…
Surface effects could play a dominant role in modifying the natural liquid order. In some cases, the effects of the surface interactions can propagate inwards, and even can interfere with a similar propagation from opposite surfaces. This…
Two-dimensional (2D) structures of boron atoms so called borophene, have recently attracted remarkable attention. In a latest exciting experimental study, a hydrogenated borophene structure was realized. Motivated by this success, we…
Electron plasmas confined by an external magnetic field exhibit variations in a two-dimensional plane orthogonal to the confining magnetic field. A nonlinear fluid simulation code to investigate the properties of 2-D electron plasma wave…
We report the structure of transient fluctuations in the liquid phase of a two-dimensional system that exhibits several ordered phases with different symmetries. The density-temperature phase diagram of the system studied, composed of…
Spin-orbit interactions are known to have drastic effects on the band structure of heavy-element-based materials. Celebrated examples are the recently identified 3D and 2D topological insulators. In those systems transport takes place at…
When a strong magnetic field is applied perpendicularly (along z) to a sheet confining electrons to two dimensions (x-y), highly correlated states emerge as a result of the interplay between electron-electron interactions, confinement and…
Water plays a crucial role in geological, biological, and technological processes. Nanoscale water confinement occurs in many of these settings, including sedimentary rocks, water channel proteins, and applications like desalination and…
The modification of electronic band structures and the subsequent tuning of electrical, optical, and thermal material properties is a central theme in the engineering and fundamental understanding of solid-state systems. In this scenario,…
We present theoretical evidence, based on total-energy first-principles calculations, of the existence of spin-polarized states well localized at and extended along the edges of bare zigzag boron nitride nanoribbons. Our calculations…
Phase transformations can be difficult to characterize at the microscopic level due to the inability to directly observe individual atomic motions. Model colloidal systems, by contrast, permit the direct observation of individual particle…
Recent experimental and computational studies have demonstrated that nanoconfinement profoundly alters the phase behavior of water, facilitating complex phase transitions at pressures and temperatures far lower than typically observed in…
We use numerical simulation to examine the possibility of a reversible liquid-liquid transition in supercooled water and related systems. In particular, for two atomistic models of water, we have computed free energies as functions of…
We demonstrate an exceptional ability of a high-polarisation 3D ferroelectric liquid to form freely-suspended fluid fibres at room temperature. Unlike fluid threads in modulated smectics and columnar phases, where translational order is a…
Liquid crystals in two dimensions undergo a first-order isotropic-to-quasi-nematic transition, provided the particle interactions are sufficiently ``sharp and narrow''. This implies phase coexistence between isotropic and quasi-nematic…