Physicists Discover the Most Complex Forms of Ice Yet
5 hours ago
- #Phase Transitions
- #Ice Phases
- #Metastable States
- Scientists have discovered three new kinds of ice in the past year, including two of the most complex phases ever seen.
- Ice XXI and ice XXII are complex phases with crystal patterns repeating every 152 and 304 molecules respectively, discovered through high-pressure experiments.
- Metastable states in ice transitions, following Ostwald's step rule, reveal that phase changes occur in steps rather than jumping to the most stable state.
- Plastic ice VII, a high-pressure phase where molecules spin rapidly, was observed using neutron techniques and is believed to exist in icy moon cores.
- Computer simulations predict thousands of possible ice phases, but experimental validation is needed, with new techniques pushing pressure limits beyond Earth's core conditions.