Supercritical water is fundamental in many fields of applications and a precise characterization of the supercritical state is of uttermost importance for this liquid. In a fluid, when moving from the critical point into the single-phase region, the thermodynamic response functions show maxima reminiscent of the critical divergence. Here we study the thermodynamic properties of water in the supercritical region by analysing both available experimental data and our computer simulation results. We find that the lines connecting the maxima of the response functions converge on approaching the critical point in a single line, the Widom line. We further show that the Widom line coincides with a crossover from a liquid-like to a gas-like behaviour clearly visible in the transport properties. These thermodynamic and dynamic features show that the supercritical state in water is far more complex than what was so far believed, indicating a new perspective in the characterization of the thermodynamics of this state.

Single particle dynamics of water confined in a nanopore is studied through computer molecular dynamics. The pore is modeled to represent the average properties of a pore of Vycor glass. Dynamics is analyzed at different hydration levels and upon supercooling. At all hydration levels and all temperatures investigated a layering effect is observed due to the strong hydrophilicity of the substrate. The time density correlators show, already at ambient temperature, strong deviations from the Debye and the stretched exponential behavior. Both on decreasing hydration level and upon supercooling we find features that can be related to the cage effect typical of a supercooled liquid undergoing a kinetic glass transition. Nonetheless the behavior predicted by mode coupling theory can be observed only by carrying out a proper shell analysis of the density correlators. Water molecules within the first two layers from the substrate are in a glassy state already at ambient temperature (bound water). The remaining subset of molecules (free water) undergoes a kinetic glass transition; the relaxation of the density correlators agree with the main predictions of the theory. From our data we can predict the temperature of structural arrest of free water.

We present a molecular dynamics study of the single-particle dynamics of supercooled water confined in a silica pore. Two dynamical regimes are found. Close to the hydrophilic substrate molecules are below the mode coupling crossover temperature, $T_C$, already at ambient temperature. The water closer to the center of the pore (free water) approaches upon supercooling $T_C$ as predicted by mode coupling theories. For free water the crossover temperature and crossover exponent $\gamma$ are extracted from power-law fits to both the diffusion coefficient and the relaxation time of the late $\alpha$ region.

A molecular dynamics simulation of the microscopic structure of water confined in a silica pore is presented. A single cavity in the silica glass has been modeled as to reproduce the main features of the pores of real Vycor glass. A layer analysis of the site–site radial distribution functions evidences the presence in the pore of two subsets of water molecules with different microscopic structure. Molecules which reside in the inner layer, close to the center of the pore, have the same structure as bulk water but at a temperature of $30$ K higher. On the contrary the structure of the water molecules in the outer layer, close to the substrate, is strongly influenced by the water–substrate hydrophilic interaction and sensible distortions of the H-bond network and of the orientational correlations between neighboring molecules show up. Lowering the hydration has little effect on the structure of water in the outer layer. The consequences on experimental determinations of the structural properties of water in confinement are discussed.