Elena Strekalova - Preliminary Oral Exam

When: October 20, 2010 (Wed), 02:30PM to 03:30PM (add to my calendar)
Location: SCI 352

This event is part of the Preliminary Oral Exam.

Title: Large Decrease of Fluctuations for Supercooled water in Hydrophobic Nanoconfinement

Abstract:

We study by Monte Carlo simulations a coarse-grained model of a water layer confined in a fixed disordered matrix of hydrophobic nanoparticles at different particle concentrations c. For c=0 (bulk water) we find a first order liquid-liquid phase transition (LLPT). For c>0 our simulations are consistent with a LLPT line ending in two critical points at low and high pressure P. For c=25% we find a dramatic decrease of compressibility, thermal expansion coefficient, specific heat at high P and low temperature
T. Surprisingly, the effect is present also for c as low as 2.4%. We
conclude that the higher the confinement, the lower the thermodynamic fluctuations and the more difficult it will be to detect the LLPT.