For something so ordinary, ice holds many secrets. It’s not just what cools your beverages or covers mountain tops; it also exists on distant moons in our solar system. Scientists are continually uncovering new kinds of ice, which adds to the intrigue of how it forms in various settings.
Recently, a team from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) published a study in Nature Materials about a new type of ice called ice XXI. This form appears when water is rapidly compressed at room temperature. What’s fascinating is that ice XXI is discovered in the same pressure range as ice VI, a type that scientists believe could be found on icy moons like Titan and Ganymede.
The Variety of Ice
Water is made of just two elements, yet it can form numerous types of ice. So far, researchers have identified 21 crystalline structures of pure ice. Ice XXI is the latest addition.
Geun Woo Lee, the study’s senior author, shared, “We have many questions about how such a simple material can create so many different crystal phases.” The aim is to explore these “crystallization pathways” from water to ice.
By experimenting with various temperatures and pressures, scientists uncover different ways that water molecules organize into ice. In this study, they revealed a “hidden” path that leads to the formation of ice VI.
Lee explained, “Rapid compression allows water to stay liquid at higher pressures where it should have already turned into ice VI.” Ice XXI forms during this process—a metastable structure that exists for a time even though ice VI would typically be more stable under those conditions.
The Role of Advanced Technology
Creating ice XXI required immense pressure. The researchers used diamond anvil cells, which are capable of generating pressures up to two gigapascals, about 20,000 times normal air pressure. As they compressed and decompressed water, they recorded each moment using powerful X-ray lasers at the European XFEL facility.
To precisely understand ice XXI’s structure, they employed PETRA III, a particle accelerator. What they found was surprising: ice XXI forms a unique tetragonal crystal, which is unlike any other type of ice discovered before.
Rachel Husband, a co-author of the study, noted, “Our findings suggest there are likely more high-temperature metastable ice phases waiting to be explored.” She believes this could provide new insights into the makeup of icy celestial bodies.
Why It Matters
Understanding different ice forms is crucial in various fields, from climate science to astronomy. For instance, ice can trap gases that provide clues about past climates on Earth and other planets. As water is so prevalent, knowing more about its behavior helps scientists predict its impact on both our world and those beyond.
Water is often called one of the universe’s mysteries. The simple combination of hydrogen and oxygen leads to vast and varied ice forms. Lee reinforced this curiosity by stating, “There could still be undiscovered ice crystal phases that exist.”
As scientists dig deeper into these discoveries, we can expect to learn more about our planet’s history and the universe. For an authoritative deep dive into ice research, check out this Nature Materials article.
Source link
ice,material science
