Molecular-resolution imaging of ice crystallized from liquid water by cryogenic liquid-cell TEM

Du JS, Banik S, Chan H, Fritsch B, Xia Y, Karakoti AS, Hutzler A, Sankaranarayanan SK, De Yoreo JJ (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Nature Communications Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications

Book Volume: 16

Article Number: 8342

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62451-0

Abstract

Despite the ubiquity of ice, a molecular-resolution image of nanoscopic defects or microstructures in ice crystallized from liquid water has never been obtained. This is mainly due to the difficulties in preparing and preserving crystalline ice samples that can survive under high-resolution imaging conditions. Here, we report the stabilization and Å-resolution electron imaging of ice Ih crystallized from liquid water by developing cryogenic liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (CRYOLIC-TEM). We combine lattice mapping with molecular dynamics simulations to reveal that ice formation is highly tolerant to nanoscale defects such as misoriented subdomains and trapped gas bubbles, which are stabilized by molecular-scale structural motifs. Importantly, bubble surfaces adopt low-energy nanofacets and create negligible strain fields in the surrounding crystal. These bubbles can dynamically nucleate, grow, migrate, dissolve, and coalesce under electron irradiation and be monitored in situ near a steady state. This work improves our understanding of water crystallization behaviors at a molecular spatial resolution.

Authors with CRIS profile

Birk Fritsch

Involved external institutions

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory US United States (USA) (US) Argonne National Laboratory US United States (USA) (US) Forschungszentrum Jülich / Research Centre Jülich (FZJ) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Du, J.S., Banik, S., Chan, H., Fritsch, B., Xia, Y., Karakoti, A.S.,... De Yoreo, J.J. (2025). Molecular-resolution imaging of ice crystallized from liquid water by cryogenic liquid-cell TEM. Nature Communications, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62451-0

MLA:

Du, Jingshan S., et al. "Molecular-resolution imaging of ice crystallized from liquid water by cryogenic liquid-cell TEM." Nature Communications 16.1 (2025).

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