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A study has revealed new properties of water molecules

B.P.Gorshunov1,2,3, V.I.Torgashev4, E.S.Zhukova1,2,3, V.G.Thomas8,9, M.A.Belyanchikov1, C.Kadlec6, F.Kadlec 6, M.Savinov6, T.Ostapchuk6, J.Petzelt6, J.Prokleška7, P.V.Tomas5, E.V.Pestrjakov10, D.A.Fursenko5, G.S.Shakurov11, A.S.Prokhorov1,2, V.S.Gorelik12, L.S.Kadyrov1, V.V.Uskov1, R.K.Kremer13 & M.Dressel3

Nature Communications 7 (2016) 12842, doi: 10.1038/ncomms12842

The experimental and theoretical study was dealing with dielectric properties of water molecules trapped in beryl crystals. Its crystal lattice provides nanoscopic regularly arranged sites where the trapped molecules can rotate. Unlike in liquid water, no hydrogen bonds are formed, but the molecules are interacting by their dipole moments. It has been proved that the molecules consequently tend to point in the same direction which implies producing a local electric field. Such an alignment could thus exist also in other substances and play a role in some processes involving water.

Water molecules, trapped at regular spacings of a few nanometers in a beryl crystal, turn around its six-fold symmetry axes (black arrows). The molecules' dipole moments (red arrows) interact among each other and, upon temperature lowering, they show a trend toward mutual ordering.

1Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, Russia
2A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
31. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
4Faculty of Physics, Southern Federal University, 344090 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
5Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
6Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic
7Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic
8Mathematical Department of The National Research University Higher School of Economics, 101000 Moscow, Russia
9Independent University of Moscow, 119002 Moscow, Russia
10Institute of Laser Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
11Kazan Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 420029 Kazan, Russia
12P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
13Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany