0470571 - FZÚ 2017 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Gorshunov, B. P. - Torgashev, V. I. - Zhukova, E.S. - Thomas, V.G. - Belyanchikov, M. A. - Kadlec, Christelle - Kadlec, Filip - Savinov, Maxim - Ostapchuk, Tetyana - Petzelt, Jan - Prokleška, J. - Tomas, P. V. - Pestrjakov, E.V. - Fursenko, D.A. - Shakurov, G.S. - Prokhorov, A. S. - Gorelik, V. S. - Kadyrov, L.S. - Uskov, V.V. - Kremer, R. K. - Dressel, M.
Incipient ferroelectricity of water molecules confined to nano-channels of beryl.
Nature Communications. Roč. 7, Sep (2016), 1-10, č. článku 12842. ISSN 2041-1723. E-ISSN 2041-1723
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-25639S
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : water * beryl * ferroelectricity * quantum fluctuations * Curie–Weiss behaviour
Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism
Impact factor: 12.124, year: 2016 ; AIS: 5.735, rok: 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12842

Water is characterized by large molecular electric dipole moments and strong interactions between molecules; however, hydrogen bonds screen the dipole–dipole coupling and suppress the ferroelectric order. The situation changes drastically when water is confined: in this case ordering of the molecular dipoles has been predicted, but never unambiguously detected experimentally. In the present study we place separate H2O molecules in the structural channels of a beryl single crystal so that they are located far enough to prevent hydrogen bonding, but close enough to keep the dipole–dipole interaction, resulting in incipient ferroelectricity in the water molecular subsystem. We observe a ferroelectric soft mode that causes Curie–Weiss behaviour of the static permittivity, which saturates below 10 K due to quantum fluctuations. The ferroelectricity of water molecules may play a key role in the functioning of biological systems.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0268171