Scientists create water that does not freeze, even in extremely cold weather

Scientists from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have identified a way to prevent the formation of ice crystals in the water, even at extremely low temperatures. At temperatures as low as 263 degrees Celsius, the water retinas the amorphous characteristics of a liquid. The researcher discovered that the first step in the process was to synthesize a new clbad of lipids to create a soft form of biological material called a lipid mesophase.

In this material, lipids self-bademble and aggregate spontaneously to form membranes behaving like natural fat molecules. The membranes adopt an arrangement to form a network of connected channels of less than one nanometer in diameter. The particular aspect of the lipid structure is that there is no room in the narrow channels inside to allow water to form ice crystals.

Even at sub-zero temperatures, water and lipids do not freeze. The team used liquid helium to cool a lipid mesophase containing a chemically modified monoacylglycerol at minus 263 degrees Celsius, barely ten degrees above absolute zero. Even at this very cold temperature, no ice crystal has formed.

Scientists say the key is the lipid / water ratio. The water content in the mixture makes it possible to control the temperature at which the geometry of the mesophase changes. An example offered is that if the mixture contains 12% water by volume, the mesophase structure will grow from approximately minus 15 degrees Celsius from a cubic labyrinth to a lamellar structure.

Scientists say that they have modeled the new clbad of lipids on the membranes found in certain bacteria. These membranes help bacteria survive in very cold environments. The team said the new clbad of soft material it has designed could be used in applications where water must be prevented from freezing.