Liquid Phase Stability Under an Extreme Temperature Gradient

Using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we subject bulk liquid to a very high-temperature gradient and observe a stable liquid phase with a local temperature well above the boiling point. Also, under this high-temperature gradient, the vapor phase exhibits condensation into a liquid at a temperature higher than the saturation temperature, indicating that the observed liquid stability is not caused by nucleation barrier kinetics. We show that, assuming local thermal equilibrium, the phase change can be understood from the thermodynamic analysis. The observed elevation of the boiling point is associated with the interplay between the bulk driving force for the phase change and surface tension of the liquid-vapor interface that suppresses the transformation. This phenomenon is analogous to that observed for liquids in confined geometries. In our study, however, a low-temperature liquid, rather than a solid, confines the high-temperature liquid.