# Percolation-driven $\\beta$ -relaxation enables resonant acceleration of crystallization in amorphous phase-change materials

Source: [Percolation-driven $\\beta$ -relaxation enables resonant acceleration of crystallization in amorphous phase-change materials](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/69a66c622d603e6de3e3d212>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2026-03-04T05:00:12.635Z

Authors: Yu-Yao Liu, Liang Gao, Jun-Ying Jiang, Yiming Zhou, Jan Luebben, Di Zhao, Xiaoling Lu, Maximilian J. M\\"uller, Ulrich Boettger, Jiang-Jing Wang, Hai-Bin Yu, Shuai Wei

Published: 2026-03-02T07:34:45.000Z

## Abstract

Amorphous phase-change materials enable fast and reversible switching in optical and electronic devices, yet crystallization kinetics are still controlled primarily through empirical thermal protocols. Here we identify a microscopic picture governing crystallization in the prototypical phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5, in which crystallization pathways are organized by the percolation of mobile atomic networks associated with $\\beta$-relaxation. We show that this percolation transition distinguishes the dominance of diffusion-driven and diffusionless nucleation and growth during crystallization processes. We further demonstrate that frequency-selected ultrasonic excitation, applied in conjunction with heating, accelerates crystallization by enhancing percolation-mediated atomic dynamics. This acceleration is maximized near the $\\beta$-relaxation frequency, consistent with resonant excitation of mobile atoms. Our results establish a direct link between glassy relaxation, atomic-scale percolation, and crystallization, and introduce a new route to modulating phase-change kinetics through targeted excitation of fundamental glassy dynamics.

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## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.01559>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.01559.pdf>)