Ice-VII-like molecular structure of ambient water nanomeniscus.

ABSTRACT: Structural transformations originating from diverse rearrangements of the hydrogen bonding in water create various phases. Although most phases have been well investigated down to the molecular level, the molecular structure of the nanomeniscus, a ubiquitous form of nanoscale water in nature, still remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that the water nanomeniscus exhibits the stable, ice-VII-like molecular structure in ambient condition. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on trace amounts of water, confined in inter-nanoparticle gaps, shows a narrowed tetrahedral peak at 3340 cm^-1 in the OH-stretching band as well as a lattice-vibrational mode at 230 cm^-1. In particular, the ice-VII-like characteristics are evidenced by the spectral independence with respect to te

SUBMITTER: Shin D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6336866 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature