What is Plastic Ice VII?
- Plastic Ice VII is a hybrid phase of water that displays the dual characteristics of both a solid and a liquid:
- Like a crystalline solid, the water molecules remain in fixed positions within a cubic crystal lattice.
- Simultaneously, these molecules can rotate freely, similar to the behavior of molecules in a liquid.
- This unique plasticity means the ice can deform under pressure like a malleable substance, making it fundamentally different from conventional ice types found on Earth.
Why is it called "Plastic" Ice?
- The term "plastic" refers not to synthetic materials but to its physical property of plasticity—the ability to mold or deform under pressure while still maintaining a solid structure.
Physicist Livia Bove, one of the lead researchers, describes it as a solid that can be squeezed through a hole, highlighting its semi-fluid behavior under stress.
