Ice may not be as inert as it seems. A new study published in Nature Physics has discovered that ordinary ice can generate electricity when it is bent, twisted, or stretched - a property known as flexoelectricity.
The research, led by teams from the Institut Català de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (ICN2) in Spain, Xian Jiaotong University in China, and Stony Brook University in the U.S., found that ice's electrical behavior shifts with temperature, challenging long-held assumptions about one of Earth's most familiar materials.
Unlike piezoelectricity, which requires specific crystal symmetry, flexoelectricity can occur in any material. In controlled lab tests, bending a slab of ice between electrodes consistently produced an electric potential, mirroring the charges seen in storm cloud ice collisions that trigger lightning. At ultra-low temperatures, researchers also detected a ferroelectric layer on the ice's surface-capable of flipping polarity like a magnet.
"This paper changes how we view ice: from a passive material to an active material," said lead author Xin Wen of ICN2.
The discovery places ice alongside advanced electroceramic materials used in sensors and capacitors. It may also help explain natural electrical phenomena in thunderstorms and inspire future technologies that exploit ice's surprising electromechanical versatility.
Source: Nature Physics
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