Discovering formation of ice 0 by low-frequency measurement data

Abstract

In this work, low-frequency characteristics of wetted nanoporous silicate materials were measured, as well as the specimen’s own low-frequency electric fluctuations at the frequencies of 1…100 Hz. The measurements at low frequencies were conducted at different voltages of the probing signal. A capacity cell was used in making the measurements. In the experiments, at the temperatures below –25…–30 °C, non-linearity of the medium was discovered. The experiments on the study of the specimen’s own electric fluctuations at these temperatures revealed their essential increase. These temperatures are below the point of phase transition of supercooled water to recently discovered ferroelectric ice 0. Based on the measurements made, a conclusion was made regarding formation of this modification of ice in the nanosize pores of the wetted materials under study. Ice 0 is a ferroelectric; therefore, its formation from deeply supercooled water may have a significant impact on the electric parameters of wetted bodies at the temperatures below –23 °C. At the interface of such ice with another dielectric, a thin layer with practically metallic conductivity emerges. Such a layer influences not only the non-linear dependence of dielectric permittivity on the electric field but also increases attenuation of electromagnetic radiation in a medium.