Scientists Created a New Room Temperature Ice (Ice XXI)

Now a day science is growing very fast. Every month scientists are discovering something new that changes our thinking about nature. Recently, scientists have created a new type of room temperature ice, which is called Ice XXI. Many people are confused that how can ice exist at room temperature. So let’s go further and understand this in easy language.

What is Room Temperature Ice?

Means, we all know that ice normally forms when water freezes below 0°C. But this new ice form, called Ice XXI, is made at room temperature but under very high pressure. It is a new type of solid form of water discovered by scientists from Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) along with European researchers.

Note that: Water has many types of solid forms called ice phases, like Ice I, Ice II, Ice VI, and so on. This new one — Ice XXI — is the latest discovered phase.

How Scientists Created Ice XXI

Before we go further, let’s understand how scientists made this possible.
To create this new ice, scientists used a diamond anvil cell, which is a device that can apply very high pressure on a tiny drop of water.

They compressed water to about 2 gigapascals (GPa) — means around 20,000 times more than normal air pressure — and did it very quickly, in around 10 milliseconds.
Then they released the pressure slowly in about one second. This process was repeated over 1,000 times to see what happens with water molecules.

When they studied the result using X-ray lasers from European XFEL and PETRA III, they found that water formed a totally new crystal structure — Ice XXI.

Structure and Features of Ice XXI

Let’s discuss the main properties of this new room temperature ice.

1. Crystal Structure:
   Ice XXI has a tetragonal structure, which means its molecules are arranged in a rectangular 3-D shape, not in a normal hexagonal one like ordinary ice.
2. Metastable Form:
   It is called metastable, means it can exist for some time even when conditions slightly change, but not permanently. If the pressure drops too much, it melts back to water.
3. High-Pressure Requirement:
   Ice XXI can only exist under around 2 GPa pressure. So we cannot create it at home — only in special lab setups.

Why This Discovery Is So Important

Now the question is — what is the benefit of discovering such an ice which we cannot even touch?
Means, this discovery helps scientists understand how water behaves under extreme conditions.
Let’s go point by point

1. Understanding Water’s Mystery:
   Water looks simple, but scientifically it is very complex. Ice XXI helps us know more about how water molecules bond and arrange under high pressure.
2. Clues About Other Planets:
   On icy planets like Ganymede, Europa, and Titan, pressure inside the crust is very high. There might be natural forms of Ice XXI or similar phases there. So this discovery helps us study outer space and planetary science.
3. New Research Paths:
   It shows that when we apply pressure very fast, water can form new types of solids that we never saw before. That means there are still many hidden phases of water we don’t know yet.

What This Ice Is Not

Note that Ice XXI is not stable at normal pressure. That means if we remove the high pressure, it will quickly convert into water again.
So it’s not the type of “ice” you can use in your drink. It’s a scientific discovery, not a daily usable material.

Final Words

As we know, water is the most important and mysterious substance on Earth. Discovering a new room temperature ice proves that there are still many things we don’t know about water.
Scientists believe that such discoveries will help us understand not only Earth’s physics but also the structure of other planets where pressure and temperature are very different from our world.