Research at the European XFEL on unknown phases and crystallization pathways in water

Recent discoveries, such as high-density amorphous ice (HDA) at room temperature, prediction of plastic phases in ice VII, and the formation of new ice XIX phase have strongly requested to unveil the origin of their formation and transition pathways with unambiguous experimental evidence.
Geun Woo Lee from Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) unveils unknown phases and crystallization pathways in water under fast compression using the dynamic diamond anvil cell (dDAC) using the High Energy Density instrument (HED).
He and his team investigated the structural change of high-density water (HDW) and traces its transition pathways with various compression rates. By the aids of the diamond anvil cells and European XFEL controlling fast compression rates and detection, the transient metastable phases which exist for very short time have been detected. Unknown metastable phases and their transition pathways have been identified.