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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

A Microfluidic Approach for the Study of Ice and Clathrate Hydrate Crystallization
Published on: August 18, 2022
Evidence for liquid water during the high-density to low-density amorphous ice transition
Chae Un Kim1, Buz Barstow, Mark W Tate
1Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Abstract:
Polymorphism of water has been extensively studied, but controversy still exists over the phase transition between high-density amorphous (HDA) and low-density amorphous (LDA) ice. We report the phase behavior of HDA ice inside high-pressure cryocooled protein crystals. Using X-ray diffraction, we demonstrate that the intermediate states in the temperature range from 80 to 170 K can be reconstructed as a linear combination of HDA and LDA ice, suggesting a first-order transition. We found evidence for a liquid state of water during the ice transition based on the protein crystallographic data. These observations open the possibility that the HDA ice induced by high-pressure cryocooling is a genuine glassy form of high-density liquid.
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