Under normal conditions, pure water is almost a perfect insulator. Water produces metallic properties only under extreme pressures, such as the pressure that exists deep inside large planets.

Recently, an international collaboration of scientists composed of 15 researchers claimed that they used a completely different method to produce metallic water, realizing the metallic state of water for the first time. Their innovation has attracted a lot of attention recently because the methods they use are very unique. The research was published in the journal Nature.



Water conducts electricity-but this refers to "normal" everyday water that contains salt. And pure distilled water is almost a perfect insulator. It is composed of water molecules, which are loosely connected by hydrogen bonds. Valence electrons remain bound and cannot move.

In order to create a conduction band with freely moving electrons, the water must be pressurized to such an extent that the orbitals of the outer electrons overlap. However, a calculation shows that this pressure only exists in the core of a large planet like Jupiter.

In the latest research, 15 scientists from 11 research institutions formed an international cooperation team. They used a completely different method to produce aqueous solutions with metallic properties for the first time, and recorded this phase change of BESSY II. In order to do this, they experimented with alkali metals, because alkali metals easily release their outer electrons.

However, the chemical reaction between alkali metals and water is explosive-at this time sodium or other alkali metals in the water immediately start to burn. But the research team found a way, they exposed the sodium-potassium alloy droplets to a small amount of water vapor, only to see the water began to condense on the surface, and then form a thin layer about 0.1 microns thick. Electrons and positive ions released by alkali metals rapidly diffuse into the water, turning the water into gold.

The metal water generated in the experiment lasted for several seconds. The team used the synchrotron X energy spectrum to confirm the expected characteristics of the metal water, including plasma frequency and conduction band characteristics. This research not only proves the feasibility of low-pressure preparation of metallic water, but also provides the characterization of related characteristics.