Nanoclusters and amorphous ice flakes built from water dimers

Cryo-SEM and confocal LSM studies of agar gel, nanoparticle hydrocolloid, mineral clays and saline solutions

“…It is generally accepted that water is a highly structured liquid due to an extensive network of hydrogen bonds; however, agreement does not exist on how the structure is to be defined 25 , 26 . In the past years, it was found that water molecules may form different types of structures, e.g., dimers, tetramers, hexamers and nanoclusters 27 . Such water structures have been visualized on 2D surfaces (on NaCl(001) films supported by a Au(111), NaCl(100) bilayer on Ag(111), Cu(110), surfaces, etc.)…”

“…Such water structures have been visualized on 2D surfaces (on NaCl(001) films supported by a Au(111), NaCl(100) bilayer on Ag(111), Cu(110), surfaces, etc.) 27 – 31 . In particular, water was found to aggregate into various clusters with the dominant of water dimers on a Cd(0001) surface 27 .…”

“… 27 – 31 . In particular, water was found to aggregate into various clusters with the dominant of water dimers on a Cd(0001) surface 27 . Interestingly, the amorphous ice nanoflakes were built exclusively from water dimers.…”

“…Interestingly, the amorphous ice nanoflakes were built exclusively from water dimers. It was demonstrated that the ultrahigh stability of water dimers results from the adsorption-induced enhancement of dipole moment of water 27 . In salt solutions, two types of water molecules coexist: non-interacting and directly interacting with ions forming dynamic hydration shell (solvate layers) 25 , 26 .…”

Water Dimer-Driven DNA Base Superstructure with Mismatched Hydrogen Bonding

“…The ubiquitous character of water as a solvent in nature means that, in most cases, reactants and products are inevitably exposed to water and it plays a key role in the biochemical processes of living organisms. Intriguingly, many recent studies have expanded the role of water beyond a passive matrix to an active promoter, − in chemical reactions − and functional materials. − In particular, water dimers not only are a fundamental unit for studying the properties of water but also show some exotic properties, such as an anomalously low barrier for diffusion on a surface involving nuclear quantum effects. − Besides, water dimers have also been proved to be potential bifunctional catalysts , and play a significant role in the initial stage of the ice nanocluster formation during the bilayer ice growth. − However, separating and generating individual water dimers stabilized at ambient temperature remains challenging . Furthermore, many experimental techniques suffer from limited spatial resolution, yield ensemble-averaged results, or require complicated modeling to extract structural data.…”