New research reveals the dual nature of supercritical fluids, transitioning from gas-like to liquid-like behavior, providing insights into fluid dynamics under extreme conditions.
A study brings remarkable insights into the enigmatic behavior of supercritical fluids, a hybrid state of matter occupying a unique space between liquids and gases, and arising in domains that go from the pharmaceutical industry to planetary science. The obtained results are at the limit of current experimental possibilities and could only be obtained in a high flux neutron source such as the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL).
Supercritical Fluids
A liquid or gaseous substance pushed beyond its critical point (i.e., beyond the temperature and pressure at which the distinction between liquid and gas can no longer be made) is called a supercritical fluid. Still little-known and defying conventional classifications, supercritical fluids possess the ability to effuse like a gas while dissolving materials like a liquid. This duality has made them invaluable in a myriad of industrial applications, from pharmaceutical processing to decaffeinating coffee beans. On the other hand, they are crucial to understanding giant planets such as Jupiter and Neptune, where similar states of matter may reign.
Groundbreaking Research on Supercritical Fluids
In a study published on May 16 in the journal DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47961-7