Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...

Structures of Solids

Structures of Solids

Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...

Unit Cells

Unit Cells

A crystal's internal structure is an orderly array of atoms, ions, or molecules, and the details of this array significantly influence the solid's properties. In a crystal, periodically repeating 'structural motifs' - which could be atoms, molecules, or groups thereof - create a 'space lattice.' This is essentially a three-dimensional, infinite array of points, each surrounded by its neighbors in an identical way, forming the basic structure of the crystal.A 'unit cell' is a theoretical...

The Seven Crystal Systems: Overview

The Seven Crystal Systems: Overview

Crystals with various point group symmetries belong to different crystal classes, which are synonymous terms. Despite being in the same class, crystals may have distinct shapes, like cubes and octahedra. There are 32 three-dimensional point groups, all of which are systematically divided into seven crystal systems.The basic cubic crystal system, exemplified by NaCl, features orthogonal vectors (α = β = �� = 90°) of equal lengths (a = b = c). When specific requirements are not imposed on the...

Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

The structure of a crystalline solid, whether a metal or not, is best described by considering its simplest repeating unit, which is referred to as its unit cell. The unit cell consists of lattice points that represent the locations of atoms or ions. The entire structure then consists of this unit cell repeating in three dimensions. The three different types of unit cells present in the cubic lattice are illustrated in Figure 1.
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

How reactive is water at the nanoscale and how to control it?

Science advances·2026

Same author

Surface-induced symmetry breaking leads to unexpected vibrational activity of melem on Cu(111).

Faraday discussions·2026

Same author

Nuclear quantum effects amplify autoionization-driven superionic behaviour in nanoconfined monolayer water.

Chemical science·2026

Same author

When is nanoconfined water different from interfacial water?

Faraday discussions·2026

Same author

Vibrational spectroscopic characterisation of fluorescent-protein-tagged and wild-type bacteria in surface-associated microdroplets.

Faraday discussions·2026

Same author

Mechanisms for the formation of active sites in single-atom alloys.

Nanoscale·2026

Same journal

Twist-angle-controlled anomalous gating in bilayer graphene/BN heterostructures.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Engineered living materials need engineered EU regulation.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Multimodal scanning-probe quantum sensing of quantum materials.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Publisher Correction: Ultralow-voltage electrochemical organic light-emitting transistors with pinned and wide lateral recombination.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

High-Chern-number orbital magnetism in twisted rhombohedral graphene.

Nature materials·2026

Same journal

Programming local confinements in crystalline frameworks through reticular chemistry.

Nature materials·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Determining the Ice-binding Planes of Antifreeze Proteins by Fluorescence-based Ice Plane Affinity

Determining the Ice-binding Planes of Antifreeze Proteins by Fluorescence-based Ice Plane Affinity

Published on: January 15, 2014

A one-dimensional ice structure built from pentagons.

Javier Carrasco¹, Angelos Michaelides, Matthew Forster

¹Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.

Nature Materials

|March 10, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Water ice chains on metal surfaces surprisingly form pentagons, not hexagons. This discovery reveals water

More Related Videos

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Published on: May 8, 2015

Microhoneycomb Monoliths Prepared by the Unidirectional Freeze-drying of Cellulose Nanofiber Based Sols: Method and Extensions

Microhoneycomb Monoliths Prepared by the Unidirectional Freeze-drying of Cellulose Nanofiber Based Sols: Method and Extensions

Published on: May 24, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Determining the Ice-binding Planes of Antifreeze Proteins by Fluorescence-based Ice Plane Affinity

Determining the Ice-binding Planes of Antifreeze Proteins by Fluorescence-based Ice Plane Affinity

Published on: January 15, 2014

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles

Published on: May 8, 2015

Microhoneycomb Monoliths Prepared by the Unidirectional Freeze-drying of Cellulose Nanofiber Based Sols: Method and Extensions

Microhoneycomb Monoliths Prepared by the Unidirectional Freeze-drying of Cellulose Nanofiber Based Sols: Method and Extensions

Published on: May 24, 2018

Area of Science:

Surface science
Physical chemistry
Materials science

Background:

Heterogeneous ice nucleation is crucial in atmospheric chemistry and biology.
Metal surfaces offer a model system for studying ice nucleation at the molecular level.
Existing models often assume hexagonal ice structures.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the molecular structure of ice chains nucleating on metal surfaces.
To challenge the prevailing hexagonal ice model in heterogeneous nucleation.
To understand the role of substrate interactions in ice formation.

Main Methods:

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) for atomic-scale imaging.
Infrared (IR) spectroscopy for vibrational analysis.
Density-functional theory (DFT) for computational modeling.

Main Results:

Identified 1-nm-wide ice chains nucleating on Cu(110).
Determined that these ice chains are composed of face-sharing water pentagons, not hexagons.
Showed pentagonal structures maximize water-metal bonding and hydrogen bonding.

Conclusions:

Water ice can adopt non-hexagonal structures on metal substrates.
Substrate interactions significantly influence ice film structure.
Reveals unexpected adaptability of water-ice films at interfaces.