Incipient ferroelectricity of water molecules confined to nano-channels of beryl.
Water is characterized by large molecular electric dipole moments and strong interactions between molecules; however, hydrogen bonds screen the dipole-dipole coupling and suppress the ferroelectric order. The situation changes drastically when water is confined: in this case ordering of the molecular dipoles has been predicted, but never unambiguously detected experimentally. In the present study we place separate H2O molecules in the structural channels of a beryl single crystal so that they are located far enough to prevent hydrogen bonding, but close enough to keep the dipole-dipole interaction, resulting in incipient ferroelectricity in the water molecular subsystem. We observe a ferroelectric soft mode that causes Curie-Weiss behaviour of the static permittivity, which saturates below 10 K due to quantum fluctuations. The ferroelectricity of water molecules may play a key role in the functioning of biological systems and find applications in fuel and memory cells, light emitters and other nanoscale electronic devices.
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia.|A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.|1. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
B P
BP
Gorshunov
Faculty of Physics, Southern Federal University, 344090 Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
V I
VI
Torgashev
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia.|A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.|1. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
E S
ES
Zhukova
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia.
V G
VG
Thomas
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia.
M A
MA
Belyanchikov
Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
C
C
Kadlec
Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
F
F
Kadlec
Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
M
M
Savinov
Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
T
T
Ostapchuk
Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
J
J
Petzelt
Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
J
J
Prokleška
Mathematical Department of The National Research University Higher School of Economics, 101000 Moscow, Russia.|Independent University of Moscow, 119002 Moscow, Russia.
P V
PV
Tomas
Institute of Laser Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia.
E V
EV
Pestrjakov
Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia.
D A
DA
Fursenko
Kazan Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 420029 Kazan, Russia.
G S
GS
Shakurov
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia.|A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
A S
AS
Prokhorov
P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
V S
VS
Gorelik
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia.
L S
LS
Kadyrov
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia.
V V
VV
Uskov
Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
R K
RK
Kremer
1. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
M
M
Dressel
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