Multiple ordering transitions in a chiral liquid

TL;DR

This study numerically investigates a chiral liquid model, revealing an exotic liquid-liquid transition with extended chirality before freezing, and discusses mechanisms that hinder crystallization in low-symmetry molecular liquids.

Contribution

It introduces a lattice model demonstrating a liquid-liquid transition driven by chirality and analyzes the slow crystallization process in low-symmetry liquids.

Findings

Identification of a liquid-liquid transition with extended chirality

Supercooling of the ordered liquid to zero temperature

Critical slowing down and competing polymorphs impede crystallization

Abstract

We present here a numerical study of a lattice model of a chiral liquid. The low symmetry of the favoured local structure depresses the freezing point to reveal an exotic liquid-liquid transition characterised by the appearance of an extended chirality,prior to freezing. What mechanisms impede crystallisation in liquids with low molecular symmetry ? The ordered liquid can be readily supercooled to zero temperature, as the combination of critical slowing down and competing crystal polymorphs results in a dramatically slow crystallisation process.