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Compressional rate-dependent stability of ammonia hydrates crystallized from water-rich ammonia solutions

A. Mondal1,2,*, K. Mohrbach1,3, K. Glazyrin3, H.-P. Liermann3, and C. Sanchez-Valle1

  • *Contact author: anshuman.phy@faculty.nita.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. B 114, 254106 – Published 6 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mw4m-12fz

Abstract

Understanding the crystallization pathways of water-rich ammonia-water (NH3−H2O) solutions and the stability of ammonia hydrates is key to unraveling the behavior of complex hydrogen-bonding networks and to modeling planetary interiors. Yet there are still inconsistencies in the crystallization sequence reported upon pressure-induced crystallization of H2O-rich NH3−H2O solutions at room temperature. Here, we investigate the effect of compression rates on the crystallization pathways of 25 wt% NH3 aqueous solutions at room temperature using dynamically compressed diamond anvil cells (dDAC) coupled with time-resolved x-ray diffraction. We show that compression rates exceeding 0.5 GPa/sec promote direct crystallization of a body-centered cubic (bcc) phase (DMA’) with possible AMH stoichiometry coexisting with ice VII, while rates below 0.2 GPa/sec stabilize monoclinic NH3-rich AHH-II and ice VII phases. Intermediate rates between 0.2 and 0.5 GPa/sec produce a mixture of both hydrates alongside ice VII, hence demonstrating the role of compression rate on the crystallization sequence of ammonia solutions. The compression behavior and phase stability of the distinct phase assemblies (AHH-II/DMA’ + ice VII) are investigated further to place constraints on the composition of the DMA’ phase, the effect of ice VII on the compressibility of ammonia hydrates, and the plausible incorporation of NH3 impurities within the lattice of high-pressure ice phases.

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Phys. Rev. B 114, 254106– Published 6 November, 2026
  • Received 7 December 2025
  • Revised 15 July 2026
  • Accepted 16 October 2026
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