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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

A Microfluidic Approach for the Study of Ice and Clathrate Hydrate Crystallization
Published on: August 18, 2022
Freezing transition and interaction potential in monolayers of microparticles at fluid interfaces
L J Bonales1, J E F Rubio, H Ritacco
1Departamento de Química Física I, Facultad de Química, Universidad Complutense, 28040-Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
The structure and the interaction potential of monolayers of charged polystyrene microparticles at fluid interfaces have been studied by optical microscopy. Microparticles of different sizes have been studied over a broad range of surface particle densities. The structural characterization is based on the analysis of images obtained by digital optical microscopy. From the experimental images, radial distribution functions, hexagonal bond order correlation functions, and temporal orientational correlation functions have been calculated for different monolayer states at both the air/water and oil/water interfaces. The interaction potential has been calculated from the structure factor using integral equations within the hypernetted chain closure relationship. For particles trapped at the oil-water interface, it was found that, upon increasing the surface coverage, a freezing transition occurs, that leads to the formation of a 2D crystalline structure. We have studied the freezing densities of particle monolayers at the oil/water interface and compared them with Monte Carlo simulation results reported by H. Löwen. In contrast, at the air-water interface, freezing is inhibited due to the formation of particle aggregates.
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The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...

