Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials
The primary relaxation dynamics near the glass transformation temperature T g exhibits universal features in all glass formers, when showing two-level tunneling states (Low Temp. Phys. 35, 282 (2009)). Researchers have long searched for any signature of the underlying “true” ergodic–nonergodic trans...
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irk-123456789-1185502017-05-31T03:03:10Z Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials Kokshenev, V.B. 8th International Conference on Cryocrystals and Quantum Crystals The primary relaxation dynamics near the glass transformation temperature T g exhibits universal features in all glass formers, when showing two-level tunneling states (Low Temp. Phys. 35, 282 (2009)). Researchers have long searched for any signature of the underlying “true” ergodic–nonergodic transition emerging at a certain thermodynamic instability temperature Te . Here, the relaxation timescale for glass-forming materials is analyzed within a self-consistent thermodynamic cluster description combined with the cluster percolation concept. Exploring the ergodic hypothesis, its violation is found near a crossover from the Gaussian to non-Gaussian (Poisson) cluster-volume fluctuations, describing the finite-size fractal-cluster distributions. The transformation of the compact-structure “ergodic” clusters into hole-like glassy nanoclusters is attributed to the critical-size thermal fluctuations. The ergodic–nonergodic phase diagram showing Te is predicted in the model-independent form through the glass fragility parameter known for organic and inorganic liquids and amorphous solids. In all cases the ergodic-instability temperature is located below and close to the glass transformation temperature, whereas the distance between the two characteristic temperatures decreases with growing the material fragility. 2011 Article Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials / V.B. Kokshenev // Физика низких температур. — 2011. — Т. 37, № 5. — С. 551–557. — Бібліогр.: 26 назв. — англ. 0132-6414 PACS: 61.41.+e, 61.43.Fs, 64.70.P– http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/118550 en Физика низких температур Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України |
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8th International Conference on Cryocrystals and Quantum Crystals 8th International Conference on Cryocrystals and Quantum Crystals Kokshenev, V.B. Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials Физика низких температур |
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The primary relaxation dynamics near the glass transformation temperature T g exhibits universal features in all glass formers, when showing two-level tunneling states (Low Temp. Phys. 35, 282 (2009)). Researchers have long searched for any signature of the underlying “true” ergodic–nonergodic transition emerging at a certain thermodynamic instability temperature Te . Here, the relaxation timescale for glass-forming materials is analyzed within a self-consistent thermodynamic cluster description combined with the cluster percolation concept. Exploring the ergodic hypothesis, its violation is found near a crossover from the Gaussian to non-Gaussian (Poisson) cluster-volume fluctuations, describing the finite-size fractal-cluster distributions. The transformation of the compact-structure “ergodic” clusters into hole-like glassy nanoclusters is attributed to the critical-size thermal fluctuations. The ergodic–nonergodic phase diagram showing Te is predicted in the model-independent form through the glass fragility parameter known for organic and inorganic liquids and amorphous solids. In all cases the ergodic-instability temperature is located below and close to the glass transformation temperature, whereas the distance between the two characteristic temperatures decreases with growing the material fragility. |
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Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials |
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Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials |
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Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials |
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Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials |
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Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials |
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loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials |
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Фізико-технічний інститут низьких температур ім. Б.І. Вєркіна НАН України |
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8th International Conference on Cryocrystals and Quantum Crystals |
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Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials / V.B. Kokshenev // Физика низких температур. — 2011. — Т. 37, № 5. — С. 551–557. — Бібліогр.: 26 назв. — англ. |
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Физика низких температур |
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AT kokshenevvb loosingthermodynamicstabilityinamorphousmaterials |
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© Valery B. Kokshenev, 2011
Fizika Nizkikh Temperatur, 2011, v. 37, No. 5, p. 551–557
Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials
Valery B. Kokshenev
Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Exatas
Caixa Postal 702, CEP 30123-970, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
E-mail: valery@fisica.ufmg.br
Received December 1, 2010
The primary relaxation dynamics near the glass transformation temperature gT exhibits universal features in
all glass formers, when showing two-level tunneling states (Low Temp. Phys. 35, 282 (2009)). Researchers have
long searched for any signature of the underlying “true” ergodic–nonergodic transition emerging at a certain
thermodynamic instability temperature eT . Here, the relaxation timescale for glass-forming materials is ana-
lyzed within a self-consistent thermodynamic cluster description combined with the cluster percolation concept.
Exploring the ergodic hypothesis, its violation is found near a crossover from the Gaussian to non-Gaussian
(Poisson) cluster-volume fluctuations, describing the finite-size fractal-cluster distributions. The transformation
of the compact-structure “ergodic” clusters into hole-like glassy nanoclusters is attributed to the critical-size
thermal fluctuations. The ergodic–nonergodic phase diagram showing eT is predicted in the model-independent
form through the glass fragility parameter known for organic and inorganic liquids and amorphous solids. In all
cases the ergodic-instability temperature is located below and close to the glass transformation temperature, whe-
reas the distance between the two characteristic temperatures decreases with growing the material fragility.
PACS: 61.41.+e Polymers, elastomers, and plastics;
61.43.Fs Glasses;
64.70.P– Glass transitions of specific systems.
Keywords: glass forming materials, ergodic hypothesis, thermodynamic instability.
1. Introduction
The structural transformation, which occurs under cool-
ing rates preventing formation of the long-range crystalline
order, is essentially a crossover from the high-temperature
thermally equilibrated ergodic state to low-temperature
nonergodic glassy states, characteristic of amorphous sol-
ids studied near the glass transformation temperature gT
via scanning calorimetry, e.g., [1–3]. Researchers have
long searched for a signature of the underlying “true” ergo-
dic–nonergodic transition emerging at a certain ergodic-
instability temperature, designated by the critical tempera-
ture at which the certain physical characteristics exposes a
divergent behavior. A traditional approach is mapping the
order–disorder thermodynamic transitions onto the geome-
tric, cluster percolation picture, e.g., [4].
There are several ways of description of the nontrivial
ergodicity breaking in spin-glass theories. One example is
the incorporation of the cluster-distribution function into a
percolation free-energy by means of employing of the ana-
logy with the Ising model [5] where the cluster distribution
function exhibits a singularity near the percolation thre-
shold [4]. It has been also recognized that in the formation
of the collective order specific of metastable glassy-like
states, the singularities in the cluster-size distributions are
avoided, by both the asymptotically small and large clus-
ters. It has been shown in [6] for the specific case of super-
cooled liquids (SCLs) that the ergodicity breaking can be
developed through a dynamic crossover from the ideal-gas
state to nonideal gas, characterized by the strengthening of
the intermolecular correlations. Such a molecule-
correlation crossover in the ergodic gas system was illumi-
nated through the description of a smooth transformation
from the Gaussian-type to Poisson-like volume-molecule
fluctuations. The Gaussian-to-Poisson crossover in cluster
distribution was first observed by Chamberlin et al. [7] in a
number of SCLs, below the conventional glass transition
temperature gT through the stress relaxation data. A corre-
lation between nonergodicity and non-Gaussianity in the
glass formation process was also later discussed by Oda-
gaki [8] and experimentally tested by Colby [9].
In the present study, the theoretical approach to the
problem of the ergodic–nonergodic instability communi-
cated in [6], is improved and extended over inorganic li-
Valery B. Kokshenev
552 Fizika Nizkikh Temperatur, 2011, v. 37, No. 5
quids and amorphous solids. Equation for eT is re-ana-
lyzed and presented in the model-independent form that
provided the ergodic instability boundary in different glass
forming materials. This boundary now is tested by recent
experimental data obtained for glass-forming polymers and
metal alloys.
2. Background
2.1. Phenomenological and model forms
The phenomenological Vogel–Fulcher–Tammann (VFT)
fitting form, namely
( ) ( )
min
0
= exp , with = 1VFT VFT
TT
T
D T
T
⎛ ⎞
τ τ ε −⎜ ⎟ε⎝ ⎠
, (1)
which also reads as
( ) ( ) 0
10 10 min
0
= , with = ,log log
ln10
VFT VFT
T
DTB B
T T
τ τ +
−
(2)
is widely used to describe the non-Arrhenius temperature
behavior of the structural relaxation times observed in
amorphous liquids and solids; D is the so-called strength
index [10,11] and 0T is the VFT temperature. The VFT
form performs within the temperature domain [12]
<g cT T T≤ , where cT is the crossover temperature cT
between the moderately and strongly supercooled liquid
states [12], distinguished in the mode coupling theory [1].
In order to characterize the timescale temperature beha-
vior, the timescale steepness function
10log ln
=
ln ln10
T T
T
d dTm
d T dT
τ τ
≡ − − (3)
is also defined [6,12]. When applied to Eq. (1) at = gT T ,
one arrives at the glass-former fragility [11]
0
1= 1 , with = 1g
g g g
g
T
m m
T
∗ ⎛ ⎞
+ ε −⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟ε⎝ ⎠
, (4)
where ( )= VFT
g gm m∗ ∗ is the material-independent lower limit,
following from Eq. (1), that can be also presented in the mo-
del-independent form (exp) (exp)
10= ( / )logg gm∗
∞τ τ . The inser-
tion of the estimates (exp) 2 1= 10 sg
±τ and
(exp) 14 2= 10 s− ±
∞τ in Eq. (4) and gm∗ yields the well-
known constraint for the characteristic-temperature ratio
[13,11]
0
= , = 16 2.g g
g
g g
T m
m
T m m
∗
∗
±
−
(5)
The experimental validity of Eq. (5) for SCLs was tested in
Fig. 2 in Ref. 12, along with similar equation
= , = 7 1,g cc
c
g g c
m mT
m
T m m
∗
∗
∗
+
±
−
(6)
obtained [14] for the the crossover temperature, where cm∗
is the corresponding lower fragility limit.
In the seminal thermodynamic model by Adam and
Gibss (AG) [15], the dynamic properties of SCLs are de-
scribed by
( )
( ) ( )
min= exp
AG
AG AG T
T
B
n
k T
⎛ ⎞Δμ
τ τ ⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
(7)
obtained through the average transition probability
( )1/ AG
Tτ characteristic of the smallest-size cooperatively
rearranging regions (CRRs). Here ( )AGΔμ is the molar (so-
lid-over-liquid excess) chemical potential, approximated
by a constant, whereas Tn stands for the mean number of
molecules which constitute the rearranging region.
The SCLs were studied [17] simultaneously on the ba-
sis of the dynamic data (exp)
Tτ , derived from the dielectric
loss spectra, and the thermodynamical experimental data
on the configurational entropy, namely
(liq) (sol)= , = ,
T
T
T T T T
TK
C
S dT C C C
T
Δ
Δ Δ −∫ (8)
evaluated through the excess liquid-over-solid isobaric
specific heat TCΔ . The thermodynamic Kauzmann tempe-
rature [18] KT is defined by the condition = 0KSΔ . Since
the experimental fact that the high-temperature asymptote
is observed as (exp) 1
TC T −Δ ∝ , the AG model was speci-
fied in both thermodynamic and dynamic aspects. Hence,
the configurational entropy (8) was found [17] in the expli-
cit interpolation form, namely
(int) = 1 , with = ,K
T
T CS S S
T B∞ ∞
⎛ ⎞Δ Δ − Δ⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
(9)
where B is the VFT-form dynamic parameter, defined in
Eq. (2), and C is the thermodynamic parameter given in
Eq. (10). Also, Eq. (7) was introduced into the AG model
(see, e.g., [16]) via
( )
( )
10 ( ) ( )= , with = .log
ln10
AG
AG T
T AG AG
BT T
nC CA
kT S S
Δμ
τ +
Δ Δ (10)
2.2. Fluctuation mechanism of cluster formation
The idealized isobaric process of solid–cluster forma-
tion is defined by the variation of the Gibbs potential
(sol) (sol) (sol)( , ) = ( )T T TG n p S n T nδ − δ +μ δ .
The cluster growth, if adopted at the thermal equilibrium
temperature eqT , is determined by a minimization of the
total system potential that requires (sol) (liq)
eq eq=μ μ for the
chemical potentials and (sol) (liq)
eq eq<S S for the entropies,
given at eq=T T [19]. The stabilization of the liquid–solid
boundary, when temperature drops below the equilibrium
temperature, is also ensured by the minimization of compe-
Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials
Fizika Nizkikh Temperatur, 2011, v. 37, No. 5 553
ting Gibbs potential and, requiring positivity of both the
excess chemical potential (sol) (liq)=T T TΔμ μ −μ and entropy
(liq) (sol)( ) = ( ) ( )T T TS n S n S nΔ − at eq<T T . Even though the
SCL system is not globally at equilibrium, it can be di-
vided into subsystems that are almost at equilibrium with
their neighbors and TSΔ = = < ( ) >T CS nΔ can be intro-
duced via the configurational average
0
< ... > = ... ( ) ,C TP n dn
∞
∫ (11)
through the local-equilibrium conditions.
Within the fluctuation mechanism adopted for the for-
mation of spatially heterogeneous clusters, the probability
( )TP n dn of meeting a solid cluster of molecular size n is
that of finding the variable n lying between n and n dn+
. This process is driven by the temperature-dependent total
system entropy
(sol) (liq) (mix)( ) = ( ) ( ) ( )T T T TS n S n S n S n+ + ,
including the solid–liquid mixing term (mix)
TS , passing
through the maximum at = Tn n , in the quasi-static ap-
proximation. The maximum-entropy principle [19] pro-
vides the probability density
2
2
( ) ( )
( ) = exp exp ,
2
T T
T
B T
S n n n
P n
k n
⎡ ⎤⎡ ⎤ −
−⎢ ⎥⎢ ⎥
Δ⎢ ⎥⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
∼ (12)
where the mean glassy-cluster molecular size Tn is estab-
lished by the thermodynamic conditions of the cluster con-
tact with the thermal bath of temperature eqT . The cluster-
size fluctuation is introduced by
2 2= < ( ) >T T Cn n nΔ − = ( ) 12 2
=
/
T
T B n n
S k n
−
− ∂ ∂ ,
emerging in Eq. (12), that is expected to work beyond the
equilibrium.
The clusters of molecular size n appear and disappear
from a fluid volume with frequency 1( )T n−τ , where ( )T nτ
is lifetime of a given n-cluster. The probability of rear-
rangement of such kind of clusters is given by 1( )T n−τ de-
termined by the maximum of the boundary-formation en-
tropy ( )TS nΔ established at the mesoscopic size-scale,
namely
1 1 1 min
min min
eq
( ) ( )
( ) = exp = exp .T
T
B B
S n W n
n
k k T
− − − ⎡ ⎤⎡ ⎤Δ
τ τ τ −⎢ ⎥⎢ ⎥
⎢ ⎥⎣ ⎦ ⎣ ⎦
(13)
Here min = ( )TW G nΔ corresponds to the minimum work
required for solidification of n molecules driven by clus-
ter-size fluctuations [19]. Within the adopted isobaric-
isothermal mechanism, one has
(sol) (liq)
eq
( ) =T TG n n ⎡ ⎤Δ μ −μ⎢ ⎥⎣ ⎦
.
Consequently, Eq. (13) can be extended to supercooled
eq( < )T T states through the relation
( )( ) = exp /'T a T Bn n k Tτ τ Δμ ,
introducing cluster relaxation time on the mesoscopic time-
scale < ( ) >T T Cnτ ≡ τ , whereas < >T Cn n≡ .
In the simplest case of Tn n≡ , when clusters-size fluc-
tuations are ignored, one naturally arrives at pseudo-
Arrhenius form
( )( ) ( )
min= exp /VFT VFT
T BT E k Tτ τ ,
with =T T TE nΔμ , following from the VFT and AG forms
presented in Eqs. (1) and (7). When the Gaussian fluctua-
tions are large ( >T Tn nΔ ), the extension of the Arrhenius
form via Eq. (13), namely
(mod) = exp 1 ,
2
T T
aT
B B
E E
k T k T
⎡ ⎤⎛ ⎞Δ
τ τ +⎢ ⎥⎜ ⎟
⎢ ⎥⎝ ⎠⎣ ⎦
(14)
results in a high-temperature thermodynamic perturbation
series for the primary relaxation scale [12].
When the mode coupling theory (MCT) [1] is extended
by the energy fluctuations TEΔ [20], one obtains
( )
( ) = exp 1 , for ,
2
1
ET MCT
k TBMCTe T
a cT cB c
E
T T
k T T
T
∞
γ
⎡ ⎤⎛ ⎞Δ τ
τ τ + ∝⎢ ⎥⎜ ⎟
⎢ ⎥⎝ ⎠⎣ ⎦ ⎛ ⎞−⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
(15)
from Eq. (14) providing asymptotically the known MCT
extrapolation form [1]. When the thermal fluctuations of
CRRs are taken into consideration, the extended version of
the AG theory was introduced [20] as
( )
0 0
1= exp 1g a g aAGe
aT
B T c B T
n n
k T k T
⎡ Δμ Δμ ⎤⎛ ⎞
τ τ +⎢ ⎥⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟ε γ ε⎢ ⎥⎝ ⎠⎣ ⎦
, (16)
where an is the lower limit for the CRR number Tn . One
can see that both dynamic and thermodynamic forms are
linked by the MCT slowing down exponent cγ , lying in the
range [12] (exp)2 < 3c≤ γ for SCLs and (exp)3 < 4c≤ γ for
glass-forming polymers. Also, the ratio for the excess
chemical potentials was obtained (see Eq. (37) in [12]),
namely
= 1 8 ln10 1
4
g g g
c c c
m∗⎛ ⎞Δμ ε ⎜ ⎟+ −⎜ ⎟Δμ ε γ⎜ ⎟
⎝ ⎠
, (17)
where = 16 2gm∗ ± is the model-independent parameter.
3. Thermodynamic instability
3.1. Ergodic versus nonergodic version
Exploring a minimum set of the observable parameters
in glass-forming materials, i.e., 0T , gT , gm , cT , and cγ ,
Valery B. Kokshenev
554 Fizika Nizkikh Temperatur, 2011, v. 37, No. 5
the ergodic A-version for self-consistent description of the
primary timescale (exp)
Tτ , its steepness (exp)
Tm , and curva-
ture (exp)
T [20] can be introduced. Specifically, the high-
density solid-like ergodic clusters are presented in Eq. (16)
by relation times ( ) ( )A AGe
T Tτ ≡ τ . Even though the global
equilibrium is not achievable in SCLs, the ergodic hypo-
thesis has been in fact implicitly employed via the Gaus-
sian cluster distribution ( ) ( )A
TP n (12), providing the ther-
modynamic description for long-living metastable states.
In other words, it is suggested that thermodynamic ma-
croscopic observables evaluated above eT in the thermo-
dynamic limit N →∞ can be well approximated by cor-
responding statistical quantities estimated in the static limit
t →∞ .
In order to describe (exp)
Tτ below eT , the low-density
solid-like clusters are introduced via a nonergodic B-ver-
sion, with the help of non-Gaussian distribution
( )
0
1( ) exp , < ,B
eT
T
nP n T T T
σ⎡ ⎤⎛ ⎞⎢ ⎥− ≤⎜ ⎟σ ζ⎢ ⎥⎝ ⎠⎣ ⎦
∼ (18)
presented by the Stauffer cluster scaling form [21] taken in
the simplest large-cluster approximation. Here =Tζ
1/
b T
− σ= ζ ε stands for the typical cluster molecular size,
always exceeding bζ , and Tε is given in Eq. (1). The
standard method of steepness descent results in the late-
time primary relaxation given by
1( ) 1= expB b b
a TT
B Tk T
σ
σ−
⎡ ⎤
⎛ ⎞Δμ ζ⎢ ⎥σ −⎛ ⎞τ τ ε ⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟⎢ ⎥σ ε⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠⎢ ⎥
⎣ ⎦
(19)
obtained for large and stable clusters ensured, respectively,
by the saddle-point conditions > 1σ and 2σ ≥ . Aiming to
design a new nonergodic VFT–AG fitting form in terms of
the percolation-type clusters specified by = 2σ , Eq. (19)
is reduced to
2 ( )
( )
02 2= exp exp , for < ,
2
B
B b b e
a a eT
TB T
n D
T T T
k T
⎛ ⎞ ⎛ ⎞Δμ
τ τ ≈ τ ≤⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟εε⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠
(20)
where 2=b bn ζ and a new strength index ( ) =B
eD
2 2/2( )b b B en k T= Δμ defined at eT . Thus, Eq. (18) emerges
as a pseudo-Gaussian form with ( )2 = B
T Tn nΔ 1
b Tn −≡ ε .
The proposed distribution ( )B
TP provides a description
of the A–B-state crossover which is thought of as a smooth
cluster structure rebuilding at eT . We therefore define con-
tinuous changes in the cluster molecular size and variance
via ( ) ( )=A B
e en n and ( ) ( )=A B
e en nΔ Δ . The variance closely
related to the cluster structure exhibits a kink [20], when it
transforms from
( ) ( )
0= = / (1 / )A A
c c aT Tn n n T TΔ ξ ξ −
into
( ) 1/2
0= = / / 1B
b T bTn n T T−Δ ε ζ − .
Accounting for these relations, the conditions of cluster
continuous changes yield
0
0 2 2= = ,
1
b
e
a c a
n T
T T
n n− ξ
(21)
where = 2 / .c cξ γ Also, the condition of continuity for
the strength indexes, i.e., ( ) ( )=A B
e eD D , where ( ) =A
eD
( )AGe
eD= is established with the help of Eq. (16), taken at
= eT T , provides
2
0
2
0 0
11 = .
2
g a g a b
c B e B e
n n n
T k T k T
Δμ Δμ⎛ ⎞ Δμ
+⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟γ ε⎝ ⎠
(22)
Here the metastable states A and B are energetically dis-
tinguished through their chemical potentials TΔμ , approx-
imated by constants within the corresponding domains:
( ) = =A
a gTΔμ Δμ Δμ , for <e cT T T≤ , but ( ) =A
cTΔμ Δμ ,
when cT T≥ ; ( )
0= =B
bTΔμ Δμ Δμ , for 0 < eT T T≤ . Then,
employing Eq. (21), one obtains the relations
0=c a c cn TΔμ γ ε and 2
0= 2 / 2 /c c c a c e eT n TΔμ ε ξ = ε ε , re-
ducing Eq. (22) to
2 2
0
0 0 0= ( ) , = , with < < .g
e c e c
c g
T T T T T T Tμ μ
Δμ − Δμ
+ − Λ Λ
Δμ Δμ
(23)
To find ratios between the AGe chemical potentials in-
volved in Eq. (23), one needs to parametrize the observed
fragility data (exp)
gm through the steepness functions ( )A
Tm
( ( )= AGe
Tm ) and ( )B
Tm , obtained at gT and extrapolated to
gT , via the corresponding model versions ( )A
Tτ (16) and
( )B
Tτ (20).
As seen in Eq. (17), the AGe timescale parametrization
involves, besides the chemical potentials, the slowing
down exponent ( )A
cγ . This allows one to reformulate the
timescale fitting problem as follows. Instead of the obser-
vation of fragility through the equations
( ) (mod) ( )=A B
g g gm m m≈ with (mod) 1= (1 )g g gm m∗ −+ ε , we de-
scribe the experimental data on (exp)
cγ , within the frame-
work of the A and B scenarios. They are introduced by
the estimates
1
( ) = ln10 1 2g gA c c
c g
c g c g
m
−
∗
⎡ ⎤⎛ ⎞Δμ Δμε ε
⎢ ⎥γ +⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟Δμ ε Δμ ε⎢ ⎥⎝ ⎠⎣ ⎦
(24)
and
122 2
( ) = ln10 1 2 ,gB e c e
c g
c g e g g
mT
m
T m
−
∗
∗
⎡ ⎤⎛ ⎞⎛ ⎞⎛ ⎞Δμ ε⎢ ⎥⎜ ⎟γ +⎜ ⎟⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟⎢ ⎥⎜ ⎟Δμ ε ε⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠ ⎝ ⎠⎢ ⎥⎣ ⎦
(25)
obtained through ( )A
gm and ( )B
gm , calculated by steepness
Tm (3) at = gT T on the basis of corresponding ( )A
Tτ (16)
and ( )B
Tτ (20).
In Fig. 1, the numerical analysis of the model pre-
dictions in Eqs. (24) and (25) is provided where unknown
Loosing thermodynamic stability in amorphous materials
Fizika Nizkikh Temperatur, 2011, v. 37, No. 5 555
temperature eT in ( )A
cγ and ( )B
cγ is excluded by means of
Eq. (23).
The observation in Fig. 1 of the experimental data (exp)
cγ
for the SCLs through the relations ( ) (exp) ( )=A B
c c cγ γ ≈ γ
results in the model estimates / = 1.32 0.05g cΔμ Δμ ± and
0 / = 1.47 0.06cΔμ Δμ ± .
3.2. Observation of the ergodic–nonergodic crossover
The obtained in Fig. 1 estimates for the chemical poten-
tials of solid-like clusters in SCLs provide ( ) = 0.317SCL
μΛ
in Eq. (23) for glass crossover temperature ( )SCL
eT . Being
numerically close to 1/ 3 , this result supports another es-
timate ( )
0= (2 ) / 3SCL
e cT T T+ discussed in Eq. (42) in
Ref. 12. Here, we specify Eq. (23) via Eqs. (5) with
= 16gm∗ and Eqs. (6) with = 7cm∗ , via a new prediction
2( ) 13.5 76.5
=
( 7)
SCL
g ge
g g g
m mT
T m m
− +
−
(26)
now extended from organic to inorganic liquids.
In Fig. 2, Eq. (26) is analyzed in light of the data on the
critical temperature cT , proposed earlier by Colby [9],
which signals the dynamic instability below gT associated
here with glass transition temperature eT . Taking also into
consideration that no adjustable parameters are used in
Fig. 2, we infer that the critical behavior observed in the
dynamic experiments in SCLs [9,22] originates from the
loss of ergodicity below gT , firstly reported in Ref. 23 and
then explained in Ref. 6. Despite of the fact that the em-
ployed AGe model is limited by “regular” liquids, Eq. (26)
also includes salol, as follows from the analysis in Fig. 2.
This implies that during the A–B crossover, differently
distributed clusters expose a similar, model-independent
behavior. In other words, the smallest glassy-like clusters,
which emerge near eT , have a gas-like structure [6], re-
gardless of the underlying chemical potentials and geome-
try. Likely the same refers to the glassy-cluster-size fluctu-
ations, which distinguish the “regular” and “irregular”
liquids above eT discussed in Ref. 12.
These observations suggest application of general
Eq. (23) to other glass-forming materials, where μΛ is
treated as a generic parameter. In Fig. 3, the special case of
polymers is presented by
2(pol) 12.5 72.8
= .
( 7)
g ge
g g g
m mT
T m m
− +
−
(27)
For the case of spin-glass forming metallic alloys, a
similar analysis was elaborated on the basis of kinetic data
Fig. 1. Observation of the data on the slowing-down exponent in
SCLs through the ergodic (a) and nonergodic (b) versions for the
glassy-like solid clusters. a — The points are available experi-
mental data on (exp)
cγ taken from Table 1 in Ref. 12. The bars
indicate experimental error. The dotted line is the best linear fit of
the data. The solid line is drawn through Eq. (24), with = 16gm∗
and the fitting parameter / = 1.32g cΔμ Δμ . b — The dotted line
is the same as in a. Points are model predictions for the slowing-
down exponent (mod)
cγ through Eq. (25). The solid line is drawn
through Eqs. (23) and (25), with = 16gm∗ , / = 1.32,g cΔμ Δμ
and the overall fitting parameter 0 / = 1.47cΔμ Δμ .
PG
m-TCP
picoline PC
glycerol
salol
TNB
OTP
a
b
γc
γc
2.5
2.5
2.0
2.0
1.5
1.5
1.0
1.0
2-MTHF sorbitol toluene
triphenphosfite
PDE
3 BP dibutilphthalate
n-propanol
mg
mg
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Fig. 2. Observation of the ergodic–nonergodic crossover in su-
percooled liquids. The solid line is the glass crossover tempera-
ture eT reduced by gT , shown in Eq. (26). The dashed line is a
linear interpolation of Eq. (26) to the strong-glass SCL regimes.
The points, taken from Table 1 of Ref. 22, are the outcome of the
fitting analysis [22] of the data on dielectric loss, viscosity, and
mechanical shear relaxation in low molecular weight organics
(open circles) and inorganic (closed circles) SCLs.
l-propanol
glycerol
TNB
OTP
PC
m-toluidine
salol
— Organic liquids
— Inorganic liquids
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
0.95
0.90
0.85
0.80
0.75
B O2 3
GeO2
T
T
e
g
/
mg
Valery B. Kokshenev
556 Fizika Nizkikh Temperatur, 2011, v. 37, No. 5
on the relaxation timescale [9]. One finds (met) = 0.285μΛ ,
using the i) data on the critical temperature shifts
c g cT T TΔ = − , with =c eT T , observed [9] as 75 and 72 K
for two alloys 48 32 20Pd Ni P and 60 15 25Pt Ni P , having the
common fragility = 48gm , and ii) the data [24] on the
glass transformation temperature =gT 566 and 482 K,
respectively. In turn, the generic parameter for metallic
alloys results in the prediction for glass crossover tempera-
ture
2
(met) 14.5 80.1
=
( 7)
g g
e g
g g
m m
T T
m m
− +
−
(28)
illustrated in Fig. 4.
4. Conclusion
We have discussed the problem of the true thermody-
namic instability occurring during structural glass and
spin-glass transformation in glass forming materials pre-
sented here by molecular, polymeric supercooled liquids
and metallic alloys, respectively. It has been repeatedly
demonstrated that a generalized solution to the glass for-
mation process in microscopically different systems is
possible, if designed on mesoscopic level. Although a
unique coherent theoretical framework remains a chal-
lenge, the proposed complex geometric, dynamic and
thermodynamic approach to the problem offers novel rela-
tions between the observable dynamic exponents and
thermodynamic and kinetic macroscopic parameters. A
macroscopic parametrization of the primary timescale,
made in a self-consistent manner, provides a strong evi-
dence for mutual dependence between thermodynamic 0(T
and gT ) and dynamic ( cT ) characteristic temperatures
[12,14] as well as ergodic–nonergodic temperature [6] eT .
In this study, we have improved analysis of the critical
temperature eT presenting it in the model-independent
form that allowed one to extend the applications from the
glass-forming organic and inorganic liquids over polymers
and metallic glasses. All predicted crossover glass temper-
atures indicate that the distance between the two characte-
ristic temperatures gT and eT decreases when the glass
material fragility grows, implying that true glass transition
near the glass transition temperature gT can be expected
only in the very strong glass formers.
Finally, the proposed approach can be extended over
traditional quadrupolar orientational glasses and modern
dipolar orbital glasses, for which microscopic description
is developed in Refs. 25 and 26, respectively. For these
cases, an evaluation of the ergodic–nonergodic instability
boundary is though limited by the absence of systematic
data on the characteristic temperatures and slowing-down
exponents discussed in Eqs. (23)–(25).
Acknowledgments
The financial support by CNPq and FAPEMIG is ac-
knowledged.
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