Researchers took release the great news! They have found Ice XXI, the 21st known phase of ice, which remains hard at room temperature under very high pressure. This breakthrough was made possible by the High Energy Density instrument at the European XFEL, the world’s largest X-ray laser facility. Scientists tapped its potential to make stunning discoveries. The research explaining this amazing discovery was published today, October 10, in the journal Nature Materials.
Ice XXI forms when water is subjected to pressures around 20,000 times that of Earth’s atmospheric pressure at sea level. In the course of the experiment, scientists squeezed H2O molecules compactly. So densely that the molecules began twisting themselves into a tight solid structure. As an example, the study looked at ice transition paths at about 72°F (22°C). Because of its peculiar molecular structure, it showed us how water can assume many different solid phase forms.
With the discovery of Ice XXI, the list of known and unique ice phases has grown even wider. It follows both Ice XIX, with its four-sided crystals and superionic ice, famous for having such a ridiculously high temperature. This is because water freezes as many different crystalline and amorphous structures. This process is tightly controlled by its two hydrogen atoms, which exert enormous control over its strange and complex behavior under a variety of conditions.
Co-author Rachel Husband, a postdoctoral researcher at the German Electron Synchrotron research center, expressed excitement about the implications of this discovery for future research.
“Our findings suggest that a greater number of high temperature metastable ice phases and their associated transition pathways may exist, potentially offering new insights into the composition of icy moons,” – Rachel Husband.
Researchers used the European XFEL’s unprecedented X-ray pulses to reveal H2O‘s different crystallization pathways. They were able to do so by quickly compressing and decompressing the material over 1,000 times using a programmable, high-speed diamond anvil cell. Geun Woo Lee, another co-author of the study, underscored the technological strides that made this finding possible.
“With the unique X-ray pulses of the European XFEL, we have uncovered multiple crystallization pathways in H2O which was rapidly compressed and decompressed over 1,000 times using a dynamic diamond anvil cell,” – Geun Woo Lee.
Ice XXI has major implications beyond our planet. By closely studying how it forms, we can learn useful lessons about the presence and behavior of ice on other planetary bodies. These small steps in scientific research might open the door on big, bold leaps into the future of space exploration. It targets icy moons in particular, where conditions may produce similar phases.
