The role of stoichiometric vacancy periodicity in pressure-induced amorphization of the Ga2SeTe2 semiconductor alloy

We observe that pressure-induced amorphization of Ga2SeTe2 (a III-VI semiconductor) is directly influenced by the periodicity of its intrinsic defect structures. Specimens with periodic and semi-periodic two-dimensional vacancy structures become amorphous around 10-11 GPa in contrast to those with aperiodic structures, which amorphize around 7-8 GPa. The result is a notable instance of altering material phase-change properties via rearrangement of stoichiometric vacancies as opposed to adjusting their concentrations. Based on our experimental findings, we posit that periodic two-dimensional vacancy structures in Ga2SeTe2 provide an energetically preferred crystal lattice that is less prone to collapse under applied pressure. This is corroborated through first-principles electronic structure calculations, which demonstrate that the energy stability of III-VI structures under hydrostatic pressure is highly dependent on the configuration of intrinsic vacancies

How ice grows from premelting films and water droplets

Close to the triple point, the surface of ice is covered by a thin liquid layer (so-called quasi-liquid layer) which crucially impacts growth and melting rates. Experimental probes cannot observe the growth processes below this layer, and classical models of growth by vapor deposition do not account for the formation of premelting films. Here, we develop a mesoscopic model of liquid-film mediated ice growth, and identify the various resulting growth regimes. At low saturation, freezing proceeds by terrace spreading, but the motion of the buried solid is conveyed through the liquid to the outer liquid-vapor interface. At higher saturations water droplets condense, a large crater forms below, and freezing proceeds undetectably beneath the droplet. Our approach is a general framework that naturally models freezing close to three phase coexistence and provides a first principle theory of ice growth and melting which may prove useful in the geosciences.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figure