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Updated: Oct 1, 2025
08:16
Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine
Published on: March 13, 2017
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How do interfaces alter the dynamics of supercooled water?
Piero Gasparotto1, Martin Fitzner2, Stephen James Cox3
1Scientific Computing Division, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen 5232, Switzerland. piero.gasparotto@psi.ch.
Nanoscale
|March 4, 2022
Summary
Interfacial water exhibits distinct dynamical domains, unlike bulk water. These persistent domains show mobility varying with distance from the interface, offering new control over water dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Soft Matter Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Liquid water structure near interfaces differs from bulk.
- Surface-induced perturbations typically resolve within ~1 nm.
- Interfacial water dynamics remain less understood than its structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how interfaces affect water molecule dynamics.
- Characterize the spatial and temporal dynamics of interfacial water.
- Explore the influence of interface properties on water dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Extensive molecular dynamics simulations.
- Studied supercooled bulk and interfacial water films.
- Analyzed nano-droplets to probe confinement effects.
Main Results:
- Observed persistent, spatially extended dynamical domains in interfacial water.
- Found average molecular mobility varies with distance from the interface.
- Contrasted interfacial dynamics with spatially averaged heterogeneity in bulk water.
- Demonstrated interface nature critically influences water's dynamical response.
Conclusions:
- Interfacial water dynamics are rich and spatially heterogeneous.
- Dynamical domains differ significantly from bulk water heterogeneity.
- Interface engineering offers potential to tune water's dynamical behavior.
- Results open avenues for controlling water properties via interface modification.
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