We use a Monte Carlo bond-switching method to study systematically the thermodynamic properties of a “continuous random network” model, the canonical model for such amorphous systems as a-Si and a-SiO2. Simulations show first-order “melting” into an amorphous state, and clear evidence for a glass transition in the supercooled liquid. The random-network model is also extended to study heterogene...

Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) (GST) is a technologically very important phase-change material that is used in digital versatile disks-random access memory and is currently studied for the use in phase-change random access memory devices. This type of data storage is achieved by the fast reversible phase transition between amorphous and crystalline GST upon heat pulse. Here we report pressure-induced reversib...

Certain density correlators, measurable via various experimental techniques, are studied in the context of the vulcanization transition. It is shown that these correlators contain essential information about both the vulcanization transition and the emergent amorphous solid state. Contact is made with various physical ingredients that have featured in experimental studies of amorphous colloidal...

Recent studies of amorphous solid materials have revealed the possibility that more than one distinct amorphous phase may be formed from the same substance. In analogy with the phenomenon of crystalline polymorphism, this behavior has been termed “amorphous polymorphism”. We review the experimental manifestation of amorphous polymorphism, especially in tetrahedrally coordinated materials such a...

The amorphous form of pharmaceutical materials represents the most energetic solid state of a material. It provides advantages in terms of dissolution rate and bioavailability. This review presents the methods of solid- -state amorphization described in literature (supercooling of liquids, milling, lyophilization, spray drying, dehydration of crystalline hydrates), with the emphasis on milling....

The authors of the title paper under discussion state the importance of low oxygen content in producing an amorphous top half in slowly cooled arc-melted buttons. Since the cooling rate does not favor the amorphous state in top half of the button, more evidence is needed to support the claim. Further, the authors made a liquid quenching machine to enhance the cooling speed to make larger ingots...

Bulk crystallisation of protein therapeutic molecules towards their controlled drug delivery is of interest to the biopharmaceutical industry. The complexity of biotherapeutic molecules is likely to lead to complex material properties of crystals in the solid state and to complex transitions. This complexity is explored using batch crystallised lysozyme as a model. The effects of drying and mil...

Citation: Aihara Y, Ito S, Omoda R, Yamada T, Fujiki S, Watanabe T, Park Y and Doo S (2016) The Electrochemical Characteristics and Applicability of an Amorphous Sulfide-Based Solid Ion Conductor for the Next-Generation Solid-State Lithium Secondary Batteries. Front. Energy Res. 4:18. doi: 10.3389/fenrg.2016.00018 The electrochemical characteristics and applicability of an amorphous sulfide-Bas...

The mechanisms by which amorphous intermediates transform into crystalline materials are poorly understood. Currently, attracting enormous interest is the crystallization of amorphous calcium carbonate, a key intermediary in synthetic, biological and environmental systems. Here we attempt to unify many contrasting and apparently contradictory studies by investigating this process in detail. We ...

Variable-amplitude oscillatory shear tests are emerging as powerful tools to investigate and quantify the nonlinear rheology of amorphous solids, complex fluids, and biological materials. Quite a few recent experimental and atomistic simulation studies demonstrated that at low shear amplitudes, an amorphous solid settles into an amplitude- and initial-conditions-dependent dissipative limit cycl...