Electrofreezing of liquid water at ambient conditions

Abstract

Water is routinely exposed to external electric fields. Whether, e.g., at physiological conditions, in contact with biological systems, or at the interface of polar surfaces in countless technological settings, water responds to fields on the order of a few V/˚A in a manner that is under intense investigation. Dating back to the 19th century, the possibility of solidifying water upon applying electric fields – a process known as electrofreezing – is an alluring promise that has canalized major efforts since, with uncertain outcomes. Here, we perform long ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of water at ambient conditions and show that fields of 0.10 − 0.15 V/˚A induce electrofreezing to a new ferroelectric amorphous phase which we term f-GW (ferroelectric glassy water). The transition is signaled by a structural and dynamical arrest and the suppression of the fluctuations of the hydrogen bond network. Our work represents the first evidence of electrofreezing of liquid water at ambient conditions and therefore impacts several fields, from fundamental chemical physics to biology and catalysis.