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Updated: May 24, 2026
08:16
Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine
Published on: March 13, 2017
Freezing water in no-man's land
Alexandra Manka1, Harshad Pathak, Shinobu Tanimura
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität zu Köln, Germany.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|February 23, 2012
Summary
This study measured homogeneous ice nucleation rates in nanodroplets at temperatures between 202 K and 215 K. These findings fill a critical gap in understanding ice formation in supercooled water, crucial for atmospheric science.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Atmospheric Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Homogeneous ice nucleation is critical for understanding cloud formation and precipitation.
- Previous measurements of homogeneous ice nucleation rates in water had a significant temperature gap.
- The "no-man's land" region of water's phase diagram, below approximately 235 K, remains poorly understood regarding ice formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure homogeneous ice nucleation rates in nanodroplets at temperatures between 202 K and 215 K.
- To bridge the existing measurement gap in homogeneous ice nucleation data.
- To provide experimental data for validating theoretical models of ice nucleation.
Main Methods:
- Generation of nanodroplets (3.2–5.8 nm radii) in a supersonic nozzle.
- Characterization of droplet properties (temperature, velocity, size, number density) using pressure trace measurements and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).
- Monitoring the liquid-to-solid phase transition using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Homogeneous ice nucleation rates were successfully measured in the temperature range of 202 K to 215 K.
- The measured rates are on the order of 10(23) cm(-3) s(-1), assuming volume nucleation.
- Results align with existing data near 203 K, extending the validated temperature range.
- The study successfully reduced the measurement gap in homogeneous ice nucleation data.
Conclusions:
- The study provides crucial experimental data for homogeneous ice nucleation rates in a previously under-measured temperature range.
- The findings contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental processes governing ice formation in supercooled water.
- This research has implications for atmospheric modeling, particularly concerning cloud microphysics and climate.
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