Directional melting of alumina via polarized microwave heating

Abstract

Dynamical instabilities and melting of crystals upon heating are fundamental problems in physics and materials science. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we found that drastically different melting temperatures and behaviors can be achieved in α-alumina using microwave heating, where the electric field is aligned with different crystallographic orientations. Namely, alumina melts much earlier at lower temperatures when the electric field is parallel to the c-axis. The atomistic mechanism was identified as selective liberation of the Al sublattice due to the shear instability along the c-axis. This directional melting concept may be used for triggering distinct dynamical instabilities and melting of dielectric crystals using polarized microwave fields.