The “Puzzle” of Water Behavior at Low Temperature

• Main Author: José Teixeira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2010-09-01
• Series: Water
• Subjects: water; supercooling; neutron scattering; hydrogen bonds
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/2/3/702/

Thermodynamic and transport properties of liquid water are not fully understood despite a large amount of research work both experimental and theoretical. The maximum of density and the enhanced anomalies observed at low temperatures are at the origin of several models that, in some cases, predict specific and unique behavior such as spinodal lines or critical points. We show that a careful analysis of the neutron quasi-elastic scattering data, both the incoherent spectra and the dynamic of the partials, is compatible with a polymer-like model, where the hydrogen bond dynamics explains the behavior of water in the non-accessible temperature region extending from −30° C to the glass transition.