Inside tiny tubes, water turns solid when it should be boiling
Monday, November 28, 2016 - 16:01
in Physics & Chemistry
It's a well-known fact that water, at sea level, starts to boil at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. And scientists have long observed that when water is confined in very small spaces, its boiling and freezing points can change a bit, usually dropping by around 10 C or so. But now, a team has found a completely unexpected set of changes: Inside the tiniest of spaces -- in carbon nanotubes whose inner dimensions are not much bigger than a few water molecules -- water can freeze solid even at high temperatures that would normally set it boiling.