Observation of an anomalous discontinuous liquid-structure change with temperature.

The nature of liquid structures with their changing behaviors remains an unsolved fundamental problem in many fields of science and technology. It has been widely accepted that liquid structures change gradually with temperature and/or pressure. With x-ray diffraction in the melt In-Sn80, however, we have confirmed that a temperature-dependent discontinuous structural change could occur in some binary liquids, which does not fall into any other up-to-date recognized liquid-liquid changes. This finding, together with the recently recognized pressure-induced liquid change, suggests that the conventional view on liquids should be revised.