2024-07-28 13:13:33
Japanese scientists from the University of Tokyo have discovered a new form of ice – the so-called ice 0, writes the magazine “Nature Communications”.
Ice is much more complex than most of us realize – science knows of over 20 different varieties that form under different combinations of pressure and temperature. The kind we use to chill our drinks is known as ice I and is one of the few forms that exists naturally on Earth.
Japanese scientists have discovered another type called “ice 0” – an unusual shape that can initiate the formation of ice crystals in supercooled water.
In the current study, the team shows how ice 0 structures can cause water droplets to freeze near the surface rather than in their cores.
The discovery solves a long-standing conundrum and could help redefine our understanding of how ice forms.
Ice crystallization usually occurs heterogeneously, or in other words, on a solid surface. This would normally be expected to occur at the surface of a vessel of water where the liquid comes into contact with the solid.
Scientists have found that ice crystallization can also occur just below the surface of the water where it meets the air. Here, ice nucleates around small precursors with the same characteristic ring-like structure as ice 0.
Small ice 0 precursors form spontaneously as a result of negative pressure caused by the surface tension of water. Once crystallization from these precursors begins, ice 0-like structures quickly rearrange into the familiar ice I, BTA writes.
A better understanding of ice and how it forms can provide invaluable information for various areas of research. The current discovery, for example, could be of particular use in meteorology, as well as in the realm of technology, from food science to air conditioning.