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Updated: Jan 9, 2026
10:28
Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
9.4K
Molecular and pore-scale structure evolution in amorphous solid water
Zachary Amato1,2, Sabrina Gärtner1,2, Pierre Ghesquière2
1ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK. zachary.amato@stfc.ac.uk.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|December 5, 2025
Summary
Amorphous solid water (ASW) pore structure changes significantly with annealing, losing porosity and surface area. This impacts astrophysical processes like star formation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Astrochemistry
- Physics
Background:
- Amorphous solid water (ASW) is crucial for astrophysical processes, including star and planetary formation.
- Understanding ASW's pore structure is key to modeling these cosmic phenomena.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively characterize the pore structure of deuterated ASW (D2O ASW).
- To investigate the influence of temperature on D2O ASW morphology and porosity.
Main Methods:
- Combined total and small-angle neutron scattering techniques were employed.
- Deuterated amorphous solid water (D2O ASW) was studied across a temperature range of 20 to 180 K.
Main Results:
- Significant morphological changes observed between 100 K and 150 K.
- Loss of specific surface area and porosity, with a transition from 3D to 2D pore shapes.
- Annealing leads to compaction, evolving from microporous islands to larger voids, with residual porosity even after crystallization.
Conclusions:
- ASW undergoes substantial structural evolution with increasing temperature.
- The observed changes in porosity and morphology have implications for astrophysical models.
- Persistent void volume contributes to porosity even after ice crystallization.
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