Helium condensation in aerogel: avalanches and disorder-induced phase transition

A single-walker approach for studying quasi-nonergodic systems

The jump-walking Monte-Carlo algorithm is revisited and updated to study the equilibrium properties of systems exhibiting quasi-nonergodicity. It is designed for a single processing thread as opposed to currently predominant algorithms for large parallel processing systems. The updated algorithm is tested on the Ising model and applied to the lattice-gas model for sorption in aerogel at low temperatures, when dynamics of the system is critically slowed down. It is demonstrated that the updated jump-walking simulations are able to produce equilibrium isotherms which are typically hidden by the hysteresis effect characteristic of the standard single-flip simulations.

Condensation of helium in aerogel and athermal dynamics of the random-field Ising model

High resolution measurements reveal that condensation isotherms of (4)He in high porosity silica aerogel become discontinuous below a critical temperature. We show that this behavior does not correspond to an equilibrium phase transition modified by the disorder induced by the aerogel structure, but to the disorder-driven critical point predicted for the athermal out-of-equilibrium dynamics of the random-field Ising model. Our results evidence the key role of nonequilibrium effects in the phase transitions of disordered systems.

Effect of disorder on condensation in the lattice gas model on a random graph

The lattice gas model of condensation in a heterogeneous pore system, represented by a random graph of cells, is studied using an exact analytical solution. A binary mixture of pore cells with different coordination numbers is shown to exhibit two phase transitions as a function of chemical potential in a certain temperature range. Heterogeneity in interaction strengths is demonstrated to reduce the critical temperature and, for large-enough degreeS of disorder, divides the cells into ones which are either on average occupied or unoccupied. Despite treating the pore space loops in a simplified manner, the random-graph model provides a good description of condensation in porous structures containing loops. This is illustrated by considering capillary condensation in a structural model of mesoporous silica SBA-15.

Capillary condensation in one-dimensional irregular confinement

A lattice-gas model with heterogeneity is developed for the description of fluid condensation in finite sized one-dimensional pores of arbitrary shape. Mapping to the random-field Ising model allows an exact solution of the model to be obtained at zero-temperature, reproducing the experimentally observed dependence of the amount of fluid adsorbed in the pore on external pressure. It is demonstrated that the disorder controls the sorption for long pores and can result in H2-type hysteresis. Finite-temperature Metropolis dynamics simulations support analytical findings in the limit of low temperatures. The proposed framework is viewed as a fundamental building block of the theory of capillary condensation necessary for reliable structural analysis of complex porous media from adsorption-desorption data.

Confinement of anomalous liquids in nanoporous matrices

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the effects of different nanoconfinements on complex liquids-e.g., colloids or protein solutions-with density anomalies and a liquid-liquid phase transition (LLPT). In all the confinements, we find a strong depletion effect with a large increase in liquid density near the confining surface. If the nanoconfinement is modeled by an ordered matrix of nanoparticles, we find that the anomalies are preserved. On the contrary, if the confinement is modeled by a disordered matrix of nanoparticles, we find a drastically different phase diagram: the LLPT shifts to lower pressures and temperatures, and the anomalies become weaker, as the disorder increases. We find that the density heterogeneities induced by the disordered matrix are responsible for the weakening of the LLPT and the disappearance of the anomalies.

Stability intervals of metastable states in hysteretic systems

Hysteresis in disordered systems originates in a plethora of metastable states. Previous works focused on their distribution inside the hysteresis. In contrast, an analysis of their range of metastability is proposed. This model, designed to catch the main features of fluid adsorption in porous materials, shows strong evidence that, in the thermodynamic limit, despite that metastable states of finite range can be found, they are exponentially dominated by those infinitely localized states.

Tuning coupling: discrete changes in runaway avalanche sizes in disordered media

Hysteretic systems may exhibit a runaway avalanche in which a large fraction of the constituents of the system collectively change state. It would be very valuable to understand the role that interaction strength between constituents plays in the size of such catastrophic runaway avalanches. We use a simple model, the random field Ising model, to study how the size of the runaway avalanche changes as the coupling between spins, J, is tuned. In particular, we calculate P(S), the distribution of size changes S in the runaway avalanche size as J comes close to a critical value J(c), and find that the distribution scales as P(S)∼S(-τ)D(S(σ)(J/J(c)-1)), with τ and σ critical exponents and D(x) a universal scaling function. In mean field theory we find τ=3/2, σ=1/2, and D(x)=exp[-(3x)(1/σ)/2]. On the basis of these results and previous studies, we also predict that for three dimensions τ=1.6 and σ=0.24.

Spontaneous imbibition in disordered porous solids: a theoretical study of helium in silica aerogels

We present a theoretical study of spontaneous imbibition of liquid (4)He in silica aerogels focusing on the effect of porosity on the fluid dynamical behavior. We adopt a coarse-grained three-dimensional lattice-gas description like in previous studies of gas adsorption and capillary condensation and use a dynamical mean-field theory, assuming that capillary disorder predominates over permeability disorder as in recent phase-field models of spontaneous imbibition. Our results reveal a remarkable connection between imbibition and adsorption as also suggested by recent experiments. The imbibition front is always preceded by a precursor film, and the classical Lucas-Washburn √t scaling law is generally recovered, although some deviations may exist at large porosity. Moreover, the interface roughening is modified by wetting and confinement effects. Our results suggest that the interpretation of the recent experiments should be revised.

Correlations in avalanche critical points

Avalanche dynamics and related power-law statistics are ubiquitous in nature, arising in phenomena such as earthquakes, forest fires, and solar flares. Very interestingly, an analogous behavior is associated with many condensed-matter systems, such as ferromagnets and martensites. Bearing it in mind, we study the prototypical random-field Ising model at T=0. We find a finite correlation between waiting intervals and the previous avalanche size. This correlation is not found in other models for avalanches but it is experimentally found in earthquakes and in forest fires. Our study suggests that this effect occurs in critical points that are at the end of a first-order discontinuity separating two regimes: one with high activity from another with low activity.

Effect of the reservoir size on gas adsorption in inhomogeneous porous media

We study the influence of the relative size of the reservoir on the adsorption isotherms of a fluid in disordered or inhomogeneous mesoporous solids. We consider both an atomistic model of a fluid in a simple, yet structured pore, whose adsorption isotherms are computed by molecular simulation, and a coarse-grained model for adsorption in a disordered mesoporous material, studied by a density functional approach in a local mean-field approximation. In both cases, the fluid inside the porous solid exchanges matter with a reservoir of gas that is at the same temperature and chemical potential and whose relative size can be varied, and the control parameter is the total number of molecules present in the porous sample and in the reservoir. Varying the relative sizes of the reservoir and the sample within experimental range may change the shape of the hysteretic isotherms, leading to a 're-entrant' behavior compared to the grand-canonical isotherm when the latter displays a jump in density. We relate these phenomena to the organization of the metastable states that are accessible for the adsorbed fluid at a given chemical potential or density.

Interplay of host volume variations and internal distortions in the course of intercalation into disordered matrices

Based on a combination of the distortive lattice gas model and the maximum information entropy approach, the thermodynamics of insertion into disordered hosts is analyzed. It is found that the isotherm specificities can be explained as a cooperative interplay of the host volume expansion and the internal distortions, which tend to optimize the host structure inducing a local lowering of the insertion energetic cost. Behavior of amorphous LixWO3 films of different thicknesses is discussed in this context.

Constrained equilibrium as a tool for characterization of deformable porous media

A new method for characterizing the deformable porous materials with noncritical adsorption probes is proposed. The mechanism is based on driving the adsorbate through a sequence of constrained equilibrium states with the insertion isotherms forming a pseudocritical point or a van der Waals-type loop. In the framework of a perturbation theory and Monte Carlo simulations we have found a link between the loop parameters and the host morphology. This allows one to characterize porous matrices through analyzing a shift of the pseudocritical point and a shape of the pseudospinodals.

Maximum entropy approach to power-law distributions in coupled dynamic-stochastic systems

Statistical properties of coupled dynamic-stochastic systems are studied within a combination of the maximum information principle and the superstatistical approach. The conditions at which the Shannon entropy functional leads to power-law statistics are investigated. It is demonstrated that, from a quite general point of view, the power-law dependencies may appear as a consequence of "global" constraints restricting both the dynamic phase space and the stochastic fluctuations. As a result, at sufficiently long observation times the dynamic counterpart is driven into a nonequilibrium steady state whose deviation from the usual exponential statistics is given by the distance from the conventional equilibrium.

Gas adsorption and desorption in silica aerogels: a theoretical study of scattering properties

We present a numerical study of the structural correlations associated with gas adsorption and desorption in silica aerogels in order to provide a theoretical interpretation of scattering experiments. Following our earlier work, we use a coarse-grained lattice-gas description and determine the nonequilibrium behavior of the adsorbed gas within a local mean-field analysis. We focus on the differences between the adsorption and desorption mechanisms and their signature in the fluid-fluid and gel-fluid structure factors as a function of temperature. At low temperature, but still in the regime where the isotherms are continuous, we find that the adsorbed fluid density, during both filling and draining, is correlated over distances that may be much larger than the gel correlation length. In particular, extended fractal correlations may occur during desorption, indicating the existence of a ramified cluster of vapor filled cavities. This also induces an important increase of the scattering intensity at small wave vectors. The similarity and differences with the scattering of fluids in other porous solids such as Vycor are discussed.