Ice and carbon exist in vast quantities in our Universe. In fact, they often coexist, and form interfaces in highly diverse settings and environments. These include, for example, icy comets, which often appear black due to the carbon on their surfaces. Following the success of the recent Rosetta mission, we have prepared mixtures of amorphous ice and carbon species at low temperatures in our lab. The aim is now to study the physical and chemical properties of these cometary materials which will help explaining, for example, the weather cycles on comets. Furthermore, using neutron diffraction, we will use the carbon species as nanoprobes within the amorphous ice to learn more about its properties. Specifically, we will follow for the first time the sintering of the amorphous ice, its glass transition as well as the formation of clathrate hydrates from the viewpoint of the carbon guests.