Silica-Like Sequence of Anomalies in Core-Softened Systems

TL;DR

This study uses simulations to explore how modifications in core-softened potentials can produce silica-like sequences of anomalies in density, structure, and diffusion, revealing inversion of anomaly regions with potential depth.

Contribution

It demonstrates that increasing the attractive part of the potential in core-softened systems can invert the order of anomalies, producing silica-like behavior.

Findings

Inversion of anomaly regions with increased potential depth.

Silica-like sequence of anomalies observed.

Negative slope of the Widom line similar to water.

Abstract

In this paper we present a simulation study of density, structural and diffusion anomalies in core-softened system introduced in our previous publications. It is well-known, that with appropriate parametrization, core-softened systems are remarkable model liquids that exhibit anomalous properties observed in tetrahedral liquids such as silica and water. It is widely believed that core-softened potentials demonstrate the water-like sequence of anomalies. We show that with increasing the depth of the attractive part of the potential the order of the region of anomalous diffusion and the regions of density and structural anomalies is inverted and have the silica-like sequence. We also show that the slope of the Widom line is negative like in water.