Lattice- and network-structure in plastic ice

We have investigated structural and energetic characteristics of plastic ice, which was found in a high pressure region such as 10 GPa by molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculation. It was predicted that plastic ice intervenes between ice VII and liquid water, in which diffusion is suppressed but rotation is allowed. In the present work, the structure in plastic ice is explored from both local and global view points and focus is placed on the local arrangement, the extent of deviation from the ideal lattice position, and the hydrogen-bonded patterns. The roles of the attractive interaction and the repulsive part of Lennard-Jones potential are also examined. It is found that the higher interaction energy in plastic ice induces a large dislocation of water molecules, which eventually conducts a facile rotation. There are a large amount of hydrogen-bonds which do not orient to the tetrahedral directions. These orientational defects give rise to fusion of the two interpenetrating sublattices of ice VII leading to a plastic phase rather than defect-containing ice VII, which results in a unique network structure of the plastic ice.