Phase behavior of metastable water from large-scale simulations of a quantitative accurate model: The liquid-liquid critical point

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Main Authors: Coronas, Luis Enrique, Franzese, Giancarlo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Coronas, Luis Enrique
Franzese, Giancarlo
author_facet Coronas, Luis Enrique
Franzese, Giancarlo
contents Water's unique anomalies are vital in various applications and biological processes, yet the molecular mechanisms behind these anomalies remain debated, particularly in the metastable liquid phase under supercooling and stretching conditions. Experimental challenges in these conditions have led to simulations suggesting a liquid-liquid phase transition between low-density and high-density water phases, culminating in a liquid-liquid critical point (LLCP). However, these simulations are limited by computational expense, small system sizes, and reliability of water models. Using the FS model, we improve accuracy in predicting water's density and response functions across a broad range of temperatures and pressures. The FS model avoid by design first-order phase transitions towards crystalline phases, allowing thorough exploration of the metastable phase diagram. We employ advanced numerical techniques to bypass dynamical slowing down and perform finite-size scaling on systems significantly larger than those used in previous analyses. Our study extrapolates thermodynamic behavior in the infinite-system limit, accurately demonstrating the existence of the LLCP in the 3D Ising universality class at TC = 186 +/- 4 K and PC = 174 +/- 14 MPa, following a liquid-liquid phase separation below 200 MPa. These predictions align with recent experimental data and more sophisticated models, highlighting that hydrogen bond cooperativity governs the LLCP and the origin of water anomalies. Moreover, we observe that the hydrogen bond network exhibits substantial cooperative fluctuations at scales larger than 10 nm, even at temperatures relevant to biopreservation. These findings have significant implications for fields such as nanotechnology and biophysics, offering new insights into water's behavior under varied conditions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_10181
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Phase behavior of metastable water from large-scale simulations of a quantitative accurate model: The liquid-liquid critical point
Coronas, Luis Enrique
Franzese, Giancarlo
Statistical Mechanics
Soft Condensed Matter
Water's unique anomalies are vital in various applications and biological processes, yet the molecular mechanisms behind these anomalies remain debated, particularly in the metastable liquid phase under supercooling and stretching conditions. Experimental challenges in these conditions have led to simulations suggesting a liquid-liquid phase transition between low-density and high-density water phases, culminating in a liquid-liquid critical point (LLCP). However, these simulations are limited by computational expense, small system sizes, and reliability of water models. Using the FS model, we improve accuracy in predicting water's density and response functions across a broad range of temperatures and pressures. The FS model avoid by design first-order phase transitions towards crystalline phases, allowing thorough exploration of the metastable phase diagram. We employ advanced numerical techniques to bypass dynamical slowing down and perform finite-size scaling on systems significantly larger than those used in previous analyses. Our study extrapolates thermodynamic behavior in the infinite-system limit, accurately demonstrating the existence of the LLCP in the 3D Ising universality class at TC = 186 +/- 4 K and PC = 174 +/- 14 MPa, following a liquid-liquid phase separation below 200 MPa. These predictions align with recent experimental data and more sophisticated models, highlighting that hydrogen bond cooperativity governs the LLCP and the origin of water anomalies. Moreover, we observe that the hydrogen bond network exhibits substantial cooperative fluctuations at scales larger than 10 nm, even at temperatures relevant to biopreservation. These findings have significant implications for fields such as nanotechnology and biophysics, offering new insights into water's behavior under varied conditions.
title Phase behavior of metastable water from large-scale simulations of a quantitative accurate model: The liquid-liquid critical point
topic Statistical Mechanics
Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.10181