Quartzlike polymorph of ice

Among the crystalline forms of water, the familiar hexagonal and the metastable cubic modifications of ice I occur naturally on the Earth and in its atmosphere, while other ices exist only under high pressures. Using molecular-dynamics simulations we have examined the effects of static electric fields upon the freezing of water. A quartzlike ice polymorph has been produced under pressures of 3-5 kbar and at temperatures of 225-240 K. These results demonstrate a possibility of generating new forms of ice through the electrofreezing of water.