Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine
Published on: March 13, 2017
Ultrafast superheating and melting of bulk ice
H Iglev1, M Schmeisser, K Simeonidis
1Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Strasse, D-85748 Garching, Germany. higlev@ph.tum.de
Abstract:
The superheating of a solid to a temperature beyond its melting point, without the solid actually melting, is a well-known phenomenon. It occurs with many substances, particularly those that can readily be produced as high-quality crystals. In principle, ice should also be amenable to superheating. But the complex three-dimensional network of hydrogen bonds that holds water molecules together and gives rise to unusual solid and liquid properties strongly affects the melting behaviour of ice; in particular, ice usually contains many defects owing to the directionality of its hydrogen bonds. However, simulations are readily able to 'create' defect-free ice that can be superheated. Here we show that by exciting the OH stretching mode of water, it is possible to superheat ice. When using an ice sample at an initial temperature of 270 K, we observe an average temperature rise of 20 +/- 2 K that persists over the monitored time interval of 250 ps without melting.
Related Concept Videos
States of Water
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Heating and Cooling Curves
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance,...
Molecular and Ionic Solids
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
Sublimation

