Eur. Phys. J. E (2021) 44: 143
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00139-1

Topical Review - Flowing Matter

Advances in the study of supercooled water

¹ Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146, Roma, Italy
² Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52c, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
³ Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185, Roma, Italy
⁴ Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 7590, IMPMC, 75005, Paris, France
⁵ Fakultät Physik, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44221, Dortmund, Germany
⁶ Secció de Física Estadística i Interdisciplinària–Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, & Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, C. Martí i Franquès 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
⁷ Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Centro Atómico Constituyentes, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, B1650LWP, Buenos Aires, Argentina
⁸ Instituto de Física “Gleb Wataghin”, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-859, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
⁹ Center for Computing in Engineering & Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-861, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
¹⁰ Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, B2G 2W5, Antigonish, NS, Canada
¹¹ Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA
¹² INQUISUR, Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS)-CONICET, Avenida Alem 1253, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

^a paola.gallo@uniroma3.it

Received: 14 July 2021
Accepted: 17 October 2021
Published online: 26 November 2021

Abstract

In this review, we report recent progress in the field of supercooled water. Due to its uniqueness, water presents numerous anomalies with respect to most simple liquids, showing polyamorphism both in the liquid and in the glassy state. We first describe the thermodynamic scenarios hypothesized for the supercooled region and in particular among them the liquid–liquid critical point scenario that has so far received more experimental evidence. We then review the most recent structural indicators, the two-state model picture of water, and the importance of cooperative effects related to the fact that water is a hydrogen-bonded network liquid. We show throughout the review that water’s peculiar properties come into play also when water is in solution, confined, and close to biological molecules. Concerning dynamics, upon mild supercooling water behaves as a fragile glass former following the mode coupling theory, and it turns into a strong glass former upon further cooling. Connections between the slow dynamics and the thermodynamics are discussed. The translational relaxation times of density fluctuations show in fact the fragile-to-strong crossover connected to the thermodynamics arising from the existence of two liquids. When considering also rotations, additional crossovers come to play. Mobility–viscosity decoupling is also discussed in supercooled water and aqueous solutions. Finally, the polyamorphism of glassy water is considered through experimental and simulation results both in bulk and in salty aqueous solutions. Grains and grain boundaries are also discussed.