New phases of water detected
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that water in a one-molecule layer acts like neither a liquid nor a solid and that it becomes highly conductive at high pressures.
Much is known about how "bulk water" behaves: it expands when it freezes, and it has a high boiling point. But when water is compressed to the nanoscale, its properties change dramatically.
By developing a new way to predict this unusual behavior with unprecedented accuracy, the researchers have detected several new phases of water at the molecular level.