On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems
Abstract Phase stability, and the limits thereof, are a central concern of materials thermodynamics. However, the temperature limits of equilibrium liquid stability in chemical systems have only been widely characterized under constant (typically atmospheric) pressure conditions, whereunder these li...
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Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54625-z |
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| author | Arian Zarriz Baptiste Journaux Matthew J. Powell-Palm |
| author_facet | Arian Zarriz Baptiste Journaux Matthew J. Powell-Palm |
| author_sort | Arian Zarriz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Phase stability, and the limits thereof, are a central concern of materials thermodynamics. However, the temperature limits of equilibrium liquid stability in chemical systems have only been widely characterized under constant (typically atmospheric) pressure conditions, whereunder these limits are represented by the eutectic. At higher pressures, the eutectic will shift in both temperature and chemical composition, opening a wide thermodynamic parameter space over which the absolute limit of liquid stability, i.e., the limit under arbitrary values of the thermodynamic forces at play (here pressure and concentration), might exist. In this work, we use isochoric freezing and melting to measure this absolute limit for the first time in several binary aqueous brines, and nodding to the etymology of “eutectic”, we name it the “cenotectic” (from Greek “κοινός-τῆξῐς”, meaning “universal-melt”). We discuss the implications of our findings on ocean worlds within our solar system and cold ocean exoplanets; estimate thermodynamic limits on ice crust thickness and final ocean depth (of the cenotectic or “endgame” ocean) using measured cenotectic pressures; and finally provide a generalized thermodynamic perspective on (and definition for) this fundamental thermodynamic invariant point. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-867c1642545f40a782a0cfe049a768b6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-867c1642545f40a782a0cfe049a768b62024-12-22T12:36:27ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-12-0115111010.1038/s41467-024-54625-zOn the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systemsArian Zarriz0Baptiste Journaux1Matthew J. Powell-Palm2J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M UniversityDepartment of Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of WashingtonJ. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M UniversityAbstract Phase stability, and the limits thereof, are a central concern of materials thermodynamics. However, the temperature limits of equilibrium liquid stability in chemical systems have only been widely characterized under constant (typically atmospheric) pressure conditions, whereunder these limits are represented by the eutectic. At higher pressures, the eutectic will shift in both temperature and chemical composition, opening a wide thermodynamic parameter space over which the absolute limit of liquid stability, i.e., the limit under arbitrary values of the thermodynamic forces at play (here pressure and concentration), might exist. In this work, we use isochoric freezing and melting to measure this absolute limit for the first time in several binary aqueous brines, and nodding to the etymology of “eutectic”, we name it the “cenotectic” (from Greek “κοινός-τῆξῐς”, meaning “universal-melt”). We discuss the implications of our findings on ocean worlds within our solar system and cold ocean exoplanets; estimate thermodynamic limits on ice crust thickness and final ocean depth (of the cenotectic or “endgame” ocean) using measured cenotectic pressures; and finally provide a generalized thermodynamic perspective on (and definition for) this fundamental thermodynamic invariant point.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54625-z |
| spellingShingle | Arian Zarriz Baptiste Journaux Matthew J. Powell-Palm On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems Nature Communications |
| title | On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems |
| title_full | On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems |
| title_fullStr | On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems |
| title_short | On the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems |
| title_sort | on the equilibrium limit of liquid stability in pressurized aqueous systems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54625-z |
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