Molecular-resolution imaging of ice crystallized from liquid water by cryogenic liquid-cell TEM.

ABSTRACT: Despite the ubiquity of ice, a molecular-resolution image of nanoscopic defects or microstructures in ice crystallized from liquid water has never been obtained. This is mainly due to the difficulties in preparing and preserving crystalline ice samples that can survive under high-resolution imaging conditions. Here, we report the stabilization and Å-resolution electron imaging of ice I_h crystallized from liquid water by developing cryogenic liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (CRYOLIC-TEM). We combine lattice mapping with molecular dynamics simulations to reveal that ice formation is highly tolerant to nanoscale defects such as misoriented subdomains and trapped gas bubbles, which are stabilized by molecular-scale structural motifs. Importantly, bubble surfaces adopt lo

SUBMITTER: Du JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12462463 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature