Hot Ice to Lubricate Artificial Joints

Water molecules (red and white) form orderly layers of ice on top of a layer of diamond (green) treated with sodium atoms (blue) in a simulation showing that such ice layers could persist well above body temperatures. Potentially, high temperature ice could make diamond coatings more suitable for implanted joints, heart valves, and other medical devices. Credit: Alexander D. Wissner-Gross and Efthimios Kaxiras, Physical Review E, August 2007