A Soft Matter State of Water and the Structures it Forms

Previously solid-like stable water clusters have been found to exist at room temperature as a residue from evaporation of a type of pure water. We examined the behavior of the stable water clusters. They form straight rods, double-helix shapes, and a variety of other structures. Their properties suggest that the water is a soft-matter state with gel-like behavior. Dipole−dipole models with soft-matter properties are presented to explain how many of these structures are created.