Liquid-liquid transition in supercooled water investigated by interaction with LiCl and Xe

摘要

The hypothesis that supercooled water consists of two distinct liquid phases has been explored on the basis of their ability to hydrate nonpolar (Xe) and electrolytic (LiCl) species. Xe incorporated in the bulk of amorphous solid water survives in the deeply supercooled regime above the glass-transition temperature of 136 K and is finally dehydrated at 165 K, whereas LiCl dissolves only in the liquid phase appearing above 165 K. The second liquid phase connects with normal water as inferred from high (poor) solubility of LiCl (Xe). This result also suggests that decoupling of translational diffusion and viscosity in the deeply supercooled regime is caused by domain structures of the two liquid phases formed during a possible liquid-liquid transition.