The Exotic Quasisolidity and Supersolidity of Water

Water is ubiquitously important but least known. This perspective features the latest finding of two exotic forms of water called quasisolid and supersolid phases due to the cooperativity and disparity of the O:H-O bond in its segmental length, energy, and specific heat when subjected to thermal, electric, and undercoordination perturbation. The quasisolid (QS) phase only appears at temperatures between melting and ice nucleation, regardless of sample size, and this phase has a negative thermal expansivity (NTE). However, polarization or molecular undercoordination creates the supersolid phase in skins of water and ice, droplets, ionic hydration cells, and volumetric water with a current flow or under a 106 eV/cm electric bias. This phase is characterized by ~10% H-O bond contraction and vibrating at ~3450 cm-1. The supersolid has unique properties such as high elasticity, mechanical strength, optical reflectivity, structure order, thermal stability, diffusivity, catalytic activity, and chemical reactivity. Liquid-QS-Ice transition with QS phase energy absorption occurs for water due to H-O bond contraction during thermal decay but not for the supersolid phase of saturated NaCl solution. The NTE of the QS fosters ice buoyancy and the supersolidity endows ice slipperiness, supercooling, superheating, premelting, low-temperature fiber elasticity, water bridge, and warm water fast cooling, as well as on water chemistry.