Phase-field crystal model for materials with anomalous expansion during solidification and its application to the cavitation of supercooled water droplets

Unlike most pure materials, liquid water and silicon exhibit a decrease in density upon solidification, a behavior with important implications for natural and industrial processes. In this work, we propose a modification to previous vapor-liquid-solid phase-field crystal (PFC) models that allows the simulation of such anomalous density changes upon solidification. We describe the differences between the original and modified PFC models' phase …