The puzzle of liquid water diffusive behaviour: recent IQENS results

We present recent incoherent quasi-elastic neutron scattering (IQENS) results, carried out on IN6 time-of-flight spectrometer, performed on water confined into 26 Å diameter pores of nanoporous Gelsil glass, as a function of temperature. From the IQENS data analysis it turns out that there is a strong confinement effect on the water molecules by the host glass that reflects, consequentially, a hindered diffusional dynamics. The quasi-elastic response has been explained in terms of two different theoretical models: (i) the well-known Dianoux–Volino model for confined diffusion, and (ii) the MCT model typical of supercooled α-relaxing systems.