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Concurrent Formation of Ice Network within Mineral Colloids with Suppressed Volume Expansion
Hongkun Li1,2,3,4, Yunchen Long1,2,3, Junda Shen1,2
1Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, China.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|January 19, 2026
Summary
Tiny mineral particles, like calcite, significantly reduce water's volume expansion when freezing. This discovery offers new insights into mineral-particle interactions with water, impacting fields from soil science to biomineralization.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Water freezing behavior is crucial for Earth's life and landscapes.
- Current methods to control freezing use ice-structuring proteins or nanomaterials.
- Controlling water expansion during freezing is an ongoing challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of mineral particles on water freezing expansion.
- To explore the potential of common minerals in regulating water's phase transitions.
- To understand the mechanism behind mineral-induced suppression of water expansion.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing colloidal precipitates of calcite, a common Earth mineral.
- Measuring water volume expansion at low temperatures (243 K).
- Analyzing the structure of water-mineral interactions using spectroscopic techniques (implied).
Main Results:
- Calcite particles reduced water expansion by 69% (from 8.4% to 2.6%) at 243 K.
- Formation of ordered, "ice-like" hydration water networks on mineral surfaces.
- Heterogeneous nucleation of these water networks confined free water, preventing expansion.
Conclusions:
- Common minerals, like calcite, can effectively suppress water volume expansion upon freezing.
- This phenomenon is driven by surface-bound hydration water crystallization.
- Findings have implications for biomineralization, hydrology, soil science, and lithology.
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