This ice is particularly light.
Japanese researchers from Okayama University have created aerolin – solid form of water, which is the lightest among the other types of ice.
At the moment there are 17 types of ice. They can remain stable only for certain values of temperature and pressure.
To obtain aerology experts analyzed the molecular structure of existing types of ice based on zeolites (microporous minerals) and clathrates of compounds of the crystal lattice which contain other compounds. Using computer modeling, the scientists removed from the study of the structures of certain atoms, having 300 different hypothetical minerals. The researchers assessed the stability of the crystals at low pressure.
It turned out that the ice based on zeolite must be stable, than other types of minerals. This allowed the researchers to find a structure that will be stable at negative pressure, but at the same time has a low density.
The resulting mineral is similar to aerogel – a material in which the cavity is not less than 50 percent of the volume. Aerolin consists of hexagonal cells that are repeated.
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