Electrofreezing of supercooled water

Abstract

The results of a wind tunnel and could chamber investigation on the effect of intense electric fields on ice-nucleation in supercooled water are presented. It is found that electrostatically charged surfaces and externally applied electric fields significantly enhance ice-nucleation. This finding is supported by a review of recent work reported in literature. Several mechanisms are considered which can be made responsible for electrofreezing. A discussion of the electrofreezing effect suggests that it is the electrical relief of the surface of a solid substrate rather than the crystallochemical relief which is the determining factor in heterogeneous ice nucleus formation. © 1973 Birkhäuser Verlag.