June 24, 2024
Keio University
A research team from Keio University, including Kazuki Yasuda (a second-year doctoral student at the Graduate School of Science and Technology), Katsuhiro Endo (a second-year doctoral student at the time of the research), Associate Professor Norimitsu Arai, and Professor Kenji Yasuoka of the Faculty of Science and Technology, has revealed the molecular characteristics of the liquid-like film present on the surface of ice by using molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning.
Everyone has experienced how slippery ice can be, whether through winter sports or driving on frozen roads. This slipperiness is attributed to the formation of a quasi-liquid layer, a thin film of water, on the surface of the ice.
In this study, the molecular motion within the quasi-liquid layer was analyzed using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning. The results revealed that the molecular motion in the quasi-liquid layer differs from that in both solid ice and liquid water, and that fast-moving and slow-moving molecules are distributed in a spatially heterogeneous manner. This achievement is an important step toward a deeper understanding of the unique properties of ice.
These findings were published in "Communications Chemistry" by Nature Publishing Group on May 29, 2024.
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