New form of ice can freeze at room temperature, study finds

New form of ice can freeze at room temperature, study finds

Water squeezed rapidly at room temperature can freeze and melt through at least five different pathways, rather than following one predictable route. One pathway produces a newly identified form called ice XXI, whose large crystal structure contains 152 water molecules in each repeating unit. The work could improve models of water under extreme pressure and help researchers understand high-pressure environments, including icy planetary bodies an…