Freezing transition of interfacial water at room temperature under electric fields.
The freezing of liquid water into ice was studied inside a gap of nanometer spacing under the control of electric fields and gap distance. The interfacial water underwent a sudden, reversible phase transition to ice in electric fields of 10(6) V m(-1) at room temperature. The critical field strength for the freezing transition was much weaker than that theoretically predicted for alignment of water dipoles and crystallization into polar cubic ice (>10(9) V m(-1)). This new type of freezing mechanism, occurring in weak electric fields and at room temperature, may have immediate implications for ice formation in diverse natural environments.
Choi
Eun-Mi
EM
Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Kwanak-Ku, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea.
Yoon
Young-Hwan
YH
Lee
Sangyoub
S
Kang
Heon
H