Crucial role of S8-rings in structural, relaxation, vibrational, and electronic properties of liquid sulfur close to the λ transition.

Liquid sulfur has been studied by density-functional based molecular dynamics simulations at different temperatures ranging from 400 up to 700 K across the well-documented λ transition. Structure models containing either a majority of Sn chains or S8 rings are considered and compared to experimental data from x-ray scattering. The comparison suggests a liquid structure of a majority of twofold sulfur at low temperature, dominated by S8 rings that open progressively upon temperature increase. Typical features associated with such rings are analyzed and indicate that they contribute to a specific third correlating distance in the pair correlation function and to a contribution at low wavevector k in the reciprocal space. The vibrational properties of liquid sulfur are also considered and indicate a contribution at 60 meV that is associated with both chains and rings, albeit the latter lead to a more intense peak at this wavenumber. The underlying network structure also impacts the dynamic properties of the melts which display enhanced dynamic heterogeneities when S8 rings are present. The analysis of the electronic Kohn-Sham energies shows insulating character with a gap of about ≃2.0 eV, albeit the presence of localized mid-gap states is acknowledged that can be associated, in part, with the presence of S6 rings.