title: Freezing transition of interfacial water at room temperature under electric fields.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Kwanak-Ku, Seoul 151-747, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Mi
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Young-Hwan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Sangyoub
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Heon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang