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Updated: Nov 21, 2025
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
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How ice grows from premelting films and water droplets
David N Sibley1, Pablo Llombart2,3, Eva G Noya2
1Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
Nature Communications
|January 12, 2021
Summary
A new model explains ice growth via a liquid layer. It reveals distinct freezing behaviors under varying water vapor conditions, impacting geosciences.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- Ice surfaces near the triple point feature a quasi-liquid layer impacting growth and melting.
- Experimental limitations hinder direct observation of growth beneath this layer.
- Classical models neglect premelting film formation in vapor deposition growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a mesoscopic model for liquid-film mediated ice growth.
- To identify and characterize different ice growth regimes.
- To provide a first-principles theory for freezing near three-phase coexistence.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mesoscopic model for ice growth dynamics.
- Simulation of ice growth under varying saturation conditions.
- Analysis of liquid-film mediated solid-vapor-liquid interactions.
Main Results:
- Identified distinct ice growth regimes based on saturation levels.
- Observed terrace spreading at low saturation, with buried solid motion transmitted through the liquid layer.
- Characterized crater formation and subsurface freezing at higher saturations.
Conclusions:
- The developed model offers a general framework for understanding freezing near three-phase coexistence.
- Provides a novel, first-principles theory for ice growth and melting processes.
- Findings have potential applications in geosciences, particularly in understanding ice dynamics.
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