title: A common supersolid skin covering both water and ice.
abstract: Consistency in experimental observations, numerical calculations, and theoretical predictions have revealed that the skins of water and ice share the same attribute of supersolidity characterized by an identical H-O vibration frequency of 3450 cm(-1). Molecular undercoordination and inter-electron-pair repulsion shortens the H-O bond and lengthens the O:H nonbond, leading to a dual process of nonbonding electron polarization. This relaxation-polarization process enhances the dipole moment, elasticity, viscosity, and thermal stability of these skins with a 25% density loss, which is responsible for the hydrophobicity and toughness of the water skin and results in the slippery behavior of ice.
authors.affiliation: NOVITAS, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798. ecqsun@ntu.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yongli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zengsheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yichun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Weitao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Chang Q
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Sun