Hertz-to-terahertz dielectric response of nanoconfined water molecules

TL;DR

This study investigates the dielectric response of nanoconfined water molecules using spectroscopy, heat capacity, and simulations, revealing a possible phase transition to a disordered paraelectric state below 3 K.

Contribution

It introduces a combined experimental and simulation approach to explore dipolar excitations in nanoconfined water, uncovering a novel low-temperature phase transition.

Findings

Identification of a nontrivial disordered paraelectric phase

Evidence of a phase transition below 3 K

Insights into dipolar interactions in confined water

Abstract

Broad-band dielectric spectroscopy, heat capacity measurements and molecular dynamic simulations are applied to study excitations of interacting electric dipoles spatially arranged in a network with an inter-dipole distance of 5-10 A. The dipoles with magnitude of 1.85 Debye are represented by single H2O molecules located in voids (0.5 nm size) formed by ions of the crystal lattice of cordierite. We discover emergence of nontrivial disordered paraelectric phase of dipolar system with signs of phase transition below 3 K.