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New hexatic phases of water detected

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Researchers from the University of Cambridge have found that water behaves neither like a liquid nor a solid in a single molecule layer, and under extreme pressures, it becomes conductive. The researchers discovered numerous new phases of water at the molecular level by creating a brand-new method to forecast this peculiar behavior with previously unheard-of accuracy. It is common to find water trapped between membranes or in tiny nanoscale spaces; examples include the membranes in our bodies and geological formations. But compared to the water we drink, this nanoconfined water acts quite differently. The difficulties of empirically describing the nanoscale phases of water have so far prevented a thorough knowledge of its behavior. However, the Cambridge-led team describes how they were able to anticipate the phase diagram of a one-molecule thick layer of water with extraordinary accuracy in a research that was published in the journal Nature. To enable the first-principles level analysis of a single layer of water, they combined computational approaches. The scientists discovered that water that is contained in a layer that is only one molecule thick travels through a number of phases, including a "superionic" phase and a "hexatic" phase. The water behaves in the hexatic phase as something in-between, neither a solid nor a liquid. At greater pressures, during the superionic phase, the water turns highly conductive, and protons are propelled swiftly through ice in a manner akin to the movement of electrons in a conductor. Many emerging technologies depend on our ability to comprehend the behavior of water at the nanoscale. Depending on how water trapped in our bodies' tiny cavities will respond, medical treatments may or may not be effective. Predicting how confined water will behave is essential for the creation of highly conductive electrolytes for batteries, water desalination, and frictionless fluid conveyance. "For all of these areas, understanding the behavior of water is the foundational question," said Dr. Venkat Kapil from Cambridge's Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, the paper's first author. "Our approach allows the study of a single layer of water in a graphene-like channel with unprecedented predictive accuracy." "The hexatic phase is neither a solid nor a liquid, but an intermediate, which agrees with previous theories about two-dimensional materials," said Kapil. "Our approach also suggests that this phase can be seen experimentally by confining water in a graphene channel. "The existence of the superionic phase at easily accessible conditions is peculiar, as this phase is generally found in extreme conditions like the core of Uranus and Neptune. One way to visualize this phase is that the oxygen atoms form a solid lattice, and protons flow like a liquid through the lattice, like kids running through a maze."

By Awanish Kumar

I keep abreast of the latest technological developments to bring you unfiltered information about gadgets.

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