Imaging two-dimensional ice-like structures at room temperature

In this Letter, we report scanning force microscopy images with sufficient lateral resolution to microscopically identify the distinct ice-like structures on mica at finite humidity. The pattern calculated by Odelius et al. (1997) [1] for bilayers, e.g. a 2D ice-like structure that coincides with the unit cell of mica, was observed at molecular clusters edges and an ice-like with a hexagonal structure at its center. Other regions showing structures with a periodicity of 0.76 ± 0.07 nm, possibly associated with a rhombohedral structure, and 0.63 ± 0.06 nm a cubic structure, may be described as regions with compactly bonded intermixed structures.