Abnormal separation of the silicon–oxygen bond in the liquid layering transition of silicon dioxide in a nanoslit

Abstract

We investigated the unusual layering transition (LT) in quasi-2D liquid silicon dioxide (SiO₂) confined in a nanoslit. Our results indicate that the slit size and pressure induce the abnormal LT in liquid SiO₂, accompanied by a rapid change in the density, diffusion coefficient, pair correlation function and average potential energy. The silicon and oxygen atoms are almost completely separated under the extremely strong confinement effect, which is the characteristic feature of the LT. The negative slope of the LT lines in the phase diagram at different pressures suggests that a confinement-induced LT occurs at high pressure and a pressure-induced LT occurs at low pressure.