Ice 0: Scientists Discover Unusual New Form Of Ice
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Japanese researchers have discovered ice 0, a new type of ice that forms near the surface of water, potentially redefining scientific understanding and influencing technology and climate studies. (Artist's concept). Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Ice is far more complex than most people realize, with science identifying over 20 different varieties formed under various combinations of pressure and temperature. The type we use to chill our drinks, known as ice I, is one of the few forms that occur naturally on Earth. Recently, researchers from Japan discovered another type: ice 0, an unusual form of ice that can initiate the formation of ice crystals in supercooled water.
The formation of ice near the surface of liquid water can start from tiny crystal precursors with a structure similar to a rare type of ice, known as ice 0. In a study recently published in Nature Communications, researchers from the Social Cooperation Research Department Frost Protection Science," at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo showed that these ice 0-like structures can cause a water droplet to freeze near its surface rather than at its core. This discovery resolves a longstanding puzzle and could help redefine our understanding of how ice forms.
Crystallization of ice, known as ice nucleation, usually happens heterogeneously, or in other words, at a solid surface. This is normally expected to happen at the surface of the water's container, where liquid meets solid. However, this new research shows that ice crystallization can also occur just below the water's surface, where it meets the air. Here, the ice nucleates around small precursors with the same characteristic ring-shaped structure as ice 0.
Reference: Surface-induced water crystallisation driven by precursors formed in negative pressure regions" by Gang Sun, and Hajime Tanaka, 26 July 2024, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50188-1
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