Graphene Squeezes Square Ice From Water

A new form of ice has been created by sandwiching water between sheets of graphene.

According to Nature, a team of researchers including Nobel physicist Andre Geim squeezed dropped a microliter of water between two thin sheets of graphene at room temperature and pressed the sheets until they were just one nanometer apart. Researchers found then noticed the formation of Square Ice, which has hydrogen and oxygen atoms in flat plane. Normal ice has water molecules placed in hexagonal structure.

"This study was stimulated by our previous observations of ultrafast flow of water through graphene nanocapillaries. We even speculated that this could be due to two-dimensional square ice, but seeing is believing," wrote Geim while noting that the pressure between sheets is as much as 10,000 times atmospheric pressure.

Earlier studies conducted by Geim showed water vapor could seep through graphene sheets when even helium cannot. This led researchers to experiment with water.

Square ice's properties are yet to be studied but researchers believe it can be used in desalination plants to filter water. Square ice joins 17 other forms of crystalline ice discovered.

"Microscopic cracks, pores, channels are everywhere, and not only on this planet. Knowing that water on a nanoscale behaves so differently from the common bulk water is important for better understanding of materials," Irina Grigorieva, of University of Manchester.