A remarkable slowdown of self-diffusion was found by NMR in liquid metallic indium confined within nanopores of an opal photonic crystal which becomes more pronounced within temperature ranges of diffused freezing and melting of indium. The additional decrease in atomic mobility in the confined melt upon partial indium freezing was shown to correlate with the portion of unfrozen liquid rather than immediately with temperature.

• Received 22 January 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.75.212202