What is the result of heat absorbed during a phase change?

During a phase change, the heat absorbed by a substance goes into altering the state of the material rather than changing its temperature. This process can be visualized in typical transitions, such as melting (solid to liquid) or boiling (liquid to gas). For example, when ice melts into water, heat is supplied to the ice, allowing the molecules to break free from their fixed positions, but the temperature of the ice-water mixture remains constant until all the ice has melted. Similarly, when water boils, additional heat is absorbed to convert liquid water into vapor without raising the temperature of the water. This phenomenon occurs because the energy is used to overcome the intermolecular forces holding the molecules in their respective states instead of increasing kinetic energy, which would raise the temperature. Therefore, during a phase change, the result of heat absorption is characterized by no change in temperature.